Tips for young guitar players
- Start out right, with just a guitar and amp. Get a good foundation before tinkering with pedals
- Buy pedals slowly—no flash purchases—really work to figure out what you like. Remember that every pedal brings you one degree of separation from that amazing guitar and amp tone you're getting (because you started right)
- Get to know your gear. Don't show up at a gig with a bunch of stuff you just bought and don't know how to control or dial in
- Try before you buy. Internet purchases will bite you eventually. Expect some pedals to sound completely different in your rig than what you were hearing on Youtube demos before you bought
- Don't overspend on cables
- Set clear goals for gigging, gear purchasing, and practicing. Always have a practice goal
- Follow your favorite artists on social media
- Listen to everything—don't limit your listening to preference. There's something you can learn in every genre of music
- Sing what you play. Sing while you play. Sing the notes to your lead stuff. This helps internalize the music so that it's not just muscle memory and scale regurgitation but real, melodic, and meaningful to you
- Know when to hang back
- Lead by example in your band
- Learn the Nashville Number System
- Say yes to everything at first, get all the experience you can
- Answer every phone call
- Take it seriously, but have fun. Don't be too hard on yourself. Recognize that at every level, someone is better than you