There are many people who say, I play the guitar.

I know that the term, "play the guitar" has many meanings; and each person has a different definition of what that means to them.

There are millions of web pages with titles about learning to play the guitar. I am interested in putting together a survey of the top 20 things that people mean when they say they "play the guitar", and then ranking the 20 items from the most popular answer downward, etc. What are some of your ideas?



http://www.guitarmore.com/

OK, I'm gonna side with the beginners. If you know a half dozen chords and can fake your way thru 2 or 3 popular songs, then you are playing guitar. You have the ability at that point to use a guitar to create music that nobody has yet heard, therefore you are playing guitar. You are not Andre Segovia, but you are playing the instrument.

hmmm. i can go even more beginner but i'm not sure it wiill work.

a guy knows no chords but can make a tune out of the notes and is PLaying the guitar.

however i wouldnt say this guy 'can play the guitar' i'd say 'he was playing it'

i think bobos got the right one here to be fair =P

to me the defining moment of playing guitar is when you can tune your own instrument. after that i like to use mine as a percussion device.

cricketrider wrote:

to me the defining moment of playing guitar is when you can tune your own instrument. after that i like to use mine as a percussion device.

haha classic =P

My real good cousin and my youth paster once told me, you do not play the geetar until after learning for 4 years. After those hard 4 years, you are what is known as a "geetarist". But in this 4 year span, you are still not "playing" but learning. I have no idea cuz I'm only 13 and I know nothing. But hey, its been a few months since I started and I'm playing for my first ever Christain band at church.

coolio.

I'm just gonna throw down what I think it should mean:


1) When you play, not because you really want to play guitar, but because you know you need practice time so you'll be better when you DO want to play guitar.

2) When you blow off meeting friends or family to play guitar.

3) When you call in sick (school or work) to play guitar.

4) When your pinky fingertip is calloused from playing guitar.  (Everybody avoids using it at first, so its usually the last finger to develop a callous)

5) When you dream about playing guitar.  Not just guitar hero dreams, I mean when in your sleep youre dreaming of playing scales, chords, or whatever else youve been practicing.

6) When you start loading your iPod with only tunes you can play on guitar, want to play on guitar, or want to influence your playing (on guitar).

7) When you've decided exactly what kind of guitarist you are and nobody can change your mind...  Then you outgrow that and evolve become a different kind of guitarist.

8) When you stop worrying about if you're a guitar player or not.

Kuroyama wrote:

I'm just gonna throw down what I think it should mean:


1) When you play, not because you really want to play guitar, but because you know you need practice time so you'll be better when you DO want to play guitar.

2) When you blow off meeting friends or family to play guitar.

3) When you call in sick (school or work) to play guitar.

4) When your pinky fingertip is calloused from playing guitar.  (Everybody avoids using it at first, so its usually the last finger to develop a callous)

5) When you dream about playing guitar.  Not just guitar hero dreams, I mean when in your sleep youre dreaming of playing scales, chords, or whatever else youve been practicing.

6) When you start loading your iPod with only tunes you can play on guitar, want to play on guitar, or want to influence your playing (on guitar).

7) When you've decided exactly what kind of guitarist you are and nobody can change your mind...  Then you outgrow that and evolve become a different kind of guitarist.

8) When you stop worrying about if you're a guitar player or not.

hells yea thats right

Eight

GuitarZen

damnit i haven't done one of them things.... i'll have to do that soon to achieve being a real guitarist lolz =P

When you are NOT tab dependent. Then you are playing your guitar and not playing WITH your guitar.

petey wrote:

When you are NOT tab dependent. Then you are playing your guitar and not playing WITH your guitar.

ooh i like that one.

Kuroyama wrote:

I'm just gonna throw down what I think it should mean:


1) When you play, not because you really want to play guitar, but because you know you need practice time so you'll be better when you DO want to play guitar.

2) When you blow off meeting friends or family to play guitar.

3) When you call in sick (school or work) to play guitar.

4) When your pinky fingertip is calloused from playing guitar.  (Everybody avoids using it at first, so its usually the last finger to develop a callous)

5) When you dream about playing guitar.  Not just guitar hero dreams, I mean when in your sleep youre dreaming of playing scales, chords, or whatever else youve been practicing.

6) When you start loading your iPod with only tunes you can play on guitar, want to play on guitar, or want to influence your playing (on guitar).

7) When you've decided exactly what kind of guitarist you are and nobody can change your mind...  Then you outgrow that and evolve become a different kind of guitarist.

8) When you stop worrying about if you're a guitar player or not.

Umm..
Ive done #1,#5,#6, #7 - i wanted to be like santana...but i have no electric...so im an Acoustist...for now...
For number 3, what if your job was a musician..?....something to think about..

Cya..
TMR3

We're putting a good list of answers together. When the answers stop coming in, I'll compile and try to post a summary.

I don't think I saw anyone mention this one yet: when a person says he plays guitar, that it means that he got a guitar five years ago and it is sitting unplayed for four and a half years, in the corner of his room, with a broken E string. But we all know that guy don't we? And I'm not saying that is a bad thing ... if that is his thing.


http://www.guitarmore.com/

I guess its all a matter of perspective.  I love "playing" hockey, softball, and golf, yet I am not a pro at any of them and I won't quit playing till my body says so.  I love sitting down and learning to "play" my guitar and have no aspirations to play professionally.  I don't think of that as a disqualification from the guitar player world.  I play guitar to learn, have fun, and relax and if sounds like some song all the better.
Regards,
Buzz

Great topic here and a whole lot of great answers too.

I'm in the same guitar frame of mind as Buzz Fretwire only I don 't play hockey, softball nor do I play golf.

Cheers,

GuitarZen

i think i started thinking more like i WAS a guitar player, and not like i was TRYING to play guitar, when i could think of chord progressions  and other ideas and sounds  and then sit down and play it.  dont get me wrong,  im still tryin and learnin, and ill probably never be close to as good as i want to be,  lol  but its alot of fun tryin.

I believe and know, that we are spoiled to the point of being belligerent about what a guitarist should be, or what qualifies as being a guitar player, or even what a guitar should be. Arguing about brand quality and what style is better, metal vs. country, this player is no good, this player has platinum records, this brand of guitar blows, this brand of guitar sucks, some only play classical, some only play acoustic, bla and bla.
It's not how good you play, it's that you do, no matter what the sound you or the guitar makes.

Yes, another dimension to what it means to play the guitar. If you build it, you can probably play it. Is the opposite also true?

Wow, what awesome scratch-built guitar photos. Listening to some of the stories from early bluegrass pickers from the eastern hills of Kentucky, many of them: 1) played music together because that was their only available option for Saturday night entertainment and 2) they made their own instruments, because that was all they could afford. I find making music on something that I built from scratch to be immensely personally rewarding.

Check out the photo on my home page of the guitar that I scratch-built.


http://www.GuitarMore.com/