Like Olive Garden's Bottomless Salad - Music's Depth Never Ends
Let's move off of the Music "Business" and our existential struggle with AI. Let’s build out a killer set of music related tips and tricks for the world to see. We have a ton of guitar players and musicians on this thread - this old dog wants to learn a few tricks.
Grab your axe, ivories, skins . . . and let’s go. Your tips and tricks go in the comments.
Why Play?
Remember the old PSA: This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Well, the same goes for music: This is your brain. This is your brain on music. It may not make your brain look like a fried egg, but it absolutely rewires you. You think differently. You hear differently. And, if you let it, it unlocks one of the most amazing creative outlets there is.
Side Note: Same goes for learning a second language. Dreaming in French is SO cool.
Beginner
First question: are you a note-for-note type (more Eric Clapton), or an extemporaneous type (more Jimi Hendrix)? I am most definitely an extemporaneous player. Note-for-note is right up there with the dentist and bamboo shoots under the nails. Knowing early is important because learning an instrument can be frustrating. Making it harder on yourself trying to be what you’re not is the fastest way to NOT learning an instrument.
Exercise: Try both for hours on end and see which one gives you the most satisfaction - whichever wins, follow that path - you’ll save yourself years of pain.
Beginner → Intermediate
Want to play guitar? Learn to sing (never fret [see what I did there?] - you can do it privately). It’s in the ears. Singing forces your ear to level up — which flows into everything.
Secret formula: Listen → Sing → Record → Listen → Repeat.
Intermediate
Learn what chords and scales are and why they exist. Don’t obsess, but grasp the connections. Start in an easy, open-string-friendly key (C) and it will make “enough” sense to get going. Know that for the intellectually minded, this a proverbial rabbit hole. It never ends and has many, many entrances. I would suggest focusing on the entrances, not the depths of the abyss.
Bonus: The guitar is all about shapes. The CAGED method (I’ll let you look it up) connects them all and completely opens up the fretboard.
Advanced
Use your fingers. A pick is great for strumming, but why not let its friends come out and play? Hybrid picking (pick + middle, ring, pinky fingers) was the most liberating shift in my own playing. Suddenly you’ve got bass, rhythm, and melody — all in one package. Like a one-man band. Even better, it helps you develop your own style.
Exercise: Start SLOW. Use chord shapes that are VERY familiar to you. Picking patterns are key - start with a Travis picking pattern (another thing for your to look up). Master this and you will never feel that “why do I suck so bad at guitar” feeling ever again.
Axe Passer
That’s my take. Every player I know has one trick that changed everything for them — gear, theory, mindset shift or Suno prompt (sorry, I said no AI). Drop your tips below.
