Originally Posted by: fretsmithHi Guys- I concur, that was a really interesting watch. I'd be happy to get a lesson from the "student"!

For me, it's funny how something like this will, on the one hand, motivate and excite me ... and at the same time kinda kick the ego down a few notches and remind me, on a relative scale (pun intended), that I'm really much lower on the skills totem than I sometimes give myself credit for. Very humbling.

Same scene when I go out to hear live (local) bands. If the guitarist is just a little better than me it really fires me up and makes me want to push.I'll get home and play immediately till 3-4 a.m. But, If the guitarist is WAY better than me I might not pick up a guitar for a couple of days and kind of sulk musically. Not that I didn't enjoy it immensely, it just sets the bar high and I need to come to terms with what "league" I'm (really) in.

Established acts are different. I EXPECT them to be great ( and significantly better than myself ) so the ego doesn't take a bruising.

Can anybody relate? I'm not suggesting this is, at all, a healthy attitude ...I just wonder if anyone else ever feels like a scolded dog after they've been "schooled" by a vastly superior player? ((even if it's that 13 yr old kid at Guitar Center smoking thru "Eruption".... for 45 min .... :)

T-Care Y'all

I'm with you! There have been quite a number of times that I've heard live bands and subsequently felt totally depressed about my guitar playing. Same thing when I hear kids playing awesome stuff in the guitar stores!

If somebody purposely "schools you" by showing off, well they are just an a$$hole. Just think to yourself "good for you, do you want a medal?". Nobody likes a show off!

Perhaps I've grown wiser with age, but I don't let it bother me any more. I can play what I can play and my skills are improving. It's part of the human condition to not be satisfied with the status quo - we get bored and want things to change and improve. 2 years ago, anything I improvised sounded horrible to me. Today I'm satisfied with what I can improvise, but I wish it could be faster. Never totally satisfied...

There is always room for improvement. As awesome as the student was in the video, Joe had no trouble finding things he could improve and offered plenty of suggestions. I'm sure Joe has things he wants to improve.

I periodically remind myself that the best players worked hard for years to attain their skills - full time in many cases. They also actively practice *a lot* to maintain them - again full time in many cases. They weren't born with natural talent. Joe even points out that he doesn't have perfect pitch, but worked hard to develop relative pitch.