Welcome To The Bungle

Pictured: Real life portrayal of the author playing guitar

As a guitar 'player' (snicker) I've encountered more guitar sites and blogs out there than there are cheap Strat knockoffs. And there's at least 700 bajillion million cheap Strat knockoffs out there. Starting another yet another is just asking to be drowned in the great six-string swamp of the internet. But to my knowledge I've never found the sight that I would have nearly died to see. One where you might find reviews of equipment, songs, and interviews (give me time!) but the musings of a fellow struggling guitar picker. To read someone's else's journey through the unforgiving terrain of this instrument we love so much, to read how they struggled with the same things I did or that I had conquered something they could not. And vice versa. It would have been emotionally helpful I think.

Do huh now?

Well. This is an attempt at something like that.

Almost to a fault, these sites and blogs typically deal only with tabs and exercises, videos, lessons from beginner to old timer and diagrams of intergalactic jazz-type chord fingerings. Indubitably, without the assistance of a these places what little guitar playing skill I possess would be smaller still. I owe them a great debt and I know that many other bedroom axe-slingers do as well. Yet there's really nothing personable about any of the ones I've visited or any major differentiating factors setting them apart (One plug: Marty Schwartz might be the best online guitar guru I've found out there for anyone looking for a good place to start.)

Playing guitar is kinda easy but learning it, well, whew, that's a rough endeavor indeed. For most of us, the regular regular joes of guitar world, we're lucky enough to nail down a three or four sloppy cowboy chords before hangin' the dang thang up in consternation. Every little bit I learn opens the doors to more and more that I don't know which tends to lead to more frustration. The problem, as with almost anything it seems, is TIME. I picked up the guitar, in any serious fashion, in my late 20s when I still had free time but I also had a life, a wife and a full-time job. When I became a father (now twice over) I realized how much time of what little time I'd had before that had been regretfully and tear-inducingly wasted. Nowadays I cram in most guitar playing in-between the ultra rare synchronous naps of both my kids and/or in late night sessions when my family sleeps and I should be doing all the other things that I couldn't get done during the day and/or sleeping myself. Needless to say, my path to guitar virtuoso status has been severely beleaguered.

I'd like to be clear here though. You can still learn a great deal with dedicated practicing even if your time is limited. But it's gonna be hard to reach Steve Vai-hood without pouring some serious hours into it. Obviously, you're going to improve and get better but if you're anything like me, someone who spends a large chunk of his free time (little as it is) playing and practicing, there's a cap to how far you can go in relation to how much time you have to spend on it. Yeah, the truth sucks but it's good for you in the long run if you just go ahead and store that one in your permanent data core.

Pictured: Not the author

In the early days of my guitar playing journey (and even today) I would have given my calluses to find a blog/site that dealt more with the common man blues of playing guitar. Lamentations from a similar soul such a myself about the trials and tribulations of six-string heartache. Philosophical waxings on chasing down the art of the craft. Existential meanderings on dealing with lack of skill, time, top-shelf gear, etc. I'd just like someone to be honest about their own experiences and not parade out tired aphorisms like "practice-practice-practice" or "Rome wasn't built in a day." Another horse pill of truth to swallow, sure, but that's common sense, and honestly, not all that constructively helpful.

The point is I wanted someone to commiserate with about how insanely ridiculous it is to learn even the basics of sweep picking or to agree with me that jazz players are not and never could originate from planet Earth. I believe there are many, many other bedroom pickers out there who share a like mind and I'll consider it mission accomplished if this connects with even one of you. Here at The Daily AxeGrind you're going to find some reviews, tips, musical highlights, etc. But more importantly you're going to find another's man's battle (and hopefully others) with the axe.

Now. The good news: in 100 years (and actually more like right now) no one will care about your guitar playing skills or how many cover songs you know or how many riffs you can play or the your comprehension and proper implementation of the Ionian mode. But that's not why most of us do it anyway. Not that sort of knowledge isn't desireable and good to know. It is and I wish I did. There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be as good as we can be with what time is allotted us. Raise your hands if you know the feeling: sometimes you pick up the guitar and leave happy with the feeling you're advancing in a particular skill or successfully added a complex little addition on to a tune you're working on AND sometimes you want to sell all your gear (just kidding!), take a vow of six-string silence and forget you ever met the hell the call Guitar. Fortunately, and over a period of year, I've made peace with myself that I will never be a guitar god. Well, mostly made peace. I'd be lying if I said I didn't entertain the occasional fantasy of jaws dropping at some small but well-known and popular venue as I light up the night with my fear-inspiring fretboard prowess.

But, yeah. I'll settle for my mediocrity. I'm still doing it. Still love it. It's hard sometimes but it's not going to stop me. As long as I don't put it down I will get better. The increments might be small but they're still increments. I think that's just one of the things more average but hard-as-they-can working guitarists need to know. Kemosabes of the axe, hear me! Let's be average together and may you always choose the guitar over sleep! 





*Note: I don't want to imply The Daily AxeGrind is a refuge only for those who are lacking in skill. Hopefully, any and all guitarists of all backgrounds and skill will be able to relate. If nothing else you can laugh at my failures and feel good about yourselves. Hey, as long as you're reading...