Guitar Tips I Would Tell My Younger Self

What would a seasoned guitarist tell their younger self after decades of playing? Steve Stine from GuitarZoom Academy dives deep into this thought-provoking question, offering valuable insights for players at any stage of their journey.

Reflecting on his formative years, Steve expresses gratitude for his passionate dedication that developed strong technical abilities and ear training skills. However, he identifies a crucial missing element: a structured, holistic approach to practice. While he could shred with impressive speed, he lacked the ability to create melodic, dynamic improvisations and struggled with musical creativity. This candid admission highlights how even the most dedicated practice can leave gaps when not properly balanced.

Growing up isolated in Fargo, North Dakota before the internet era presented unique challenges. Without access to other motivated guitarists or diverse musical influences, Steve relied primarily on guitar magazines for guidance. This pre-YouTube environment allowed for focused practice without today's information overload, yet it limited his exposure to collaborative learning and immediate feedback. Steve emphasizes how surrounding yourself with fellow musicians can accelerate growth through shared knowledge and motivation – something his younger self sorely missed.

Perhaps most powerfully, Steve addresses the importance of developing complementary skills like singing and songwriting alongside technical guitar prowess. His advice transcends mere guitar technique, encouraging a more complete musical development that embraces creativity alongside technical skill. Whether you're just starting your guitar journey or have been playing for years, this episode offers valuable perspective on creating a balanced practice approach that will serve you throughout your musical life. Wondering if your current practice routine is setting you up for long-term success? Schedule an interview with GuitarZoom Academy today to discover how a structured approach might transform your playing.

Links:

Check out the GuitarZoom Academy:
https://academy.guitarzoom.com/

• Steve’s Channel → https://www.youtube.com/user/stinemus...
• GuitarZoom Channel → https://www.youtube.com/user/guitarz0...
• Songs Channel → https://www.youtube.com/user/GuitarSo... .

Chapters

• 0:00 What I'd Tell My Younger Self
• 2:12 Passion vs. Organization in Practice
• 3:32 Missing Creative Development and Singing
• 5:17 Learning Without YouTube or Community
• 6:26 Finding Your Guitar Game Plan

Transcript

Steve: 0:35

Hey, Steve Stine from Guitar Zoom Academy here, thank you so much for joining me. I had somebody that contacted me and asked me a really interesting question about what would I tell my younger self as a guitar player, and I took some time to think about that a little bit and thought that was really interesting, thinking back to how many years I've been playing, how long I've been playing not just years but the hours I've spent practicing and what I would tell my younger self. And the first thing I think is I loved my passion and my dedication to, you know, practicing diligently that sort of thing. One thing I wish I would have had is more organization, more of a game plan, not just being all over the place. I think I developed some really great physical skills, memorizational skills, some ear training because of the way I grew up playing, you know, learning how to play songs by ear off records and things like that but I never developed certain musical skills. When I was younger I couldn't improvise, at least not in a, you know, creative, melodic, dynamic context. I certainly could over, like you know, just shredding things really fast, but really trying to make connections musically. I didn't have that skill. The other thing is is that I didn't spend any time working on creativity, songwriting. You know how all of that kind of stuff works and I really wish I had done that as well. I think I could have made a lot more progress if I had had an actual game plan of practice that included more than just, you know, theory or technique or something like that. I think I could have made even more progress back then in places that I find myself now, have made even more progress back then in places that I find myself now, and certainly in the creative aspects of writing and things.

Steve: 2:24

It's always been something that I enjoy doing, but I just, because of the way my lifestyle and what I already do for a living, I don't find myself having enough time for some of those things and I really wish I had made more time when I was younger. So it was part of you know who I am, and the other thing I would definitely say is learning to sing better, like spending more time vocally learning to sing, and not just. You know I'm one of those guitar players. Like I spent all my time playing guitar and uh, didn't really focus on anything else. You know, nothing else was in my line of sight. You know piano or get vocal or anything. I just was just hell bent on playing guitar. And again, I'm thankful. Don't get me wrong. I'm very thankful. I'm just saying if I could go back and talk to my younger self about things, I would definitely say having a more holistic guitar game plan would have been really beneficial long-term and I think that would have been the biggest one is being able to cover more ground.

Steve: 3:30

You know, the thing you learn is that you don't know what you don't know. The only thing you know is what you know. And where do you know that from? Well, you know it from a friend or a teacher or a relative or, nowadays, videos and that sort of thing, and sometimes it's the right information at the right time. Sometimes it's the right information but at the wrong time, and sometimes it's the wrong information. It doesn't mean it's bad information, it just means it's not what you need. And see, the one benefit that I think I had back then is that because I didn't have YouTube none of that stuff existed back then there wasn't so much noise, there wasn't so much distraction, so I could work on the things that I was working on, you know, to the nth degree, like I did that I'm very thankful for. I just wish I had a better, more rounded game plan to cover more stuff for someone. And the other thing I would say too, is working with actual players. Like I was always alone Growing up in Fargo, north Dakota.

Steve: 4:28

I didn't have any other guitar friends or there was minimal teachers back then. To be able to be around other people, motivated guitar players, you know, a teacher or whatever it might've been. All of all of the above probably would have been really, really, really cool. And um, to stay motivated to learn new things and go, oh, I didn't even know you could do that or how does that work? Or, you know, to ask questions about things. I never had that opportunity when I was a kid. The only thing I had, you know, was my ear in the beginning.

Steve: 5:00

And then the guitar magazine started becoming popular. You know, guitar world, guitar player, guitar for the practicing musician, some of those and, um, you know I would buy those and then I would read everything in them and try and work on anything that was in each one of those magazines, mostly songs, but there were little, you know, technique things or theory things or stuff like that that I would work on and that's all I had. So there was no, you know, interaction of whether I was doing something right or wrong or how something worked, and I really think I could have made a lot more progress if I had something like that as well. So, you know, just something to think about. Maybe you're in the same situation, you know, trying to figure out what it is that you're trying to do, and it's worth giving it a thought. So anyway, uh, thanks for your time.

Steve: 5:43

Take care, stay positive, keep practicing and figure out a good game plan, like never stop playing, never stop playing your guitar. You know, just, you need to find a solution, something that works for you, and if you've already found it, then hey, god bless you, that's awesome. But if you haven't, you know, give consideration, as I, you know, usually say. You know you can always check out the Guitar Zoom Academy, see if that's something that fits you. You know you can always set up an interview and we can talk about it and just see if it's something that works for you, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. And if it does, it's time to get going. It's time to change where you are into what you want to.