My advise is to (is there anybody there, listening?) “forever learn your instrument”, find a track for your sound. Remember, “this IS a business”, and try to clean up or straighten up your life style to accommodate your dreams.

            Sounds like good advise, believe me it’s not always that easy.Taking time for practice is one thing, making time to learn your instrument is ALL the rest! If I were paid for each time I heard some cat say that it’s “his style” that he plays, nothing fancy.

            That’s great for an intended approach, though I know many cases where someone would tell me that and I knew he just didn,t know how to play his guitar. To me, I see a difference between a guitarist and a guitar player. Learn your “guitar” language and get an understanding on how to physically handle that beast.

            Having someone show you and someone teaching you how to get there are, two different things. Get an idea of what it is you want to learn. Until you really know that, start or continue your studies. When the time comes for you to come up with a new part or arrangement, you’ll know how to find which way to go to get “there”.

            A quote (or part of it) from Miles Davis is; basically “steal from everybody, eventually it becomes yours”. Everybody who’s good at all learned how to play that thing!

This is “your life, live it! Be strong, to go where you need to be. Be strong enough to say no!

             Peace,             Mike Tafoya

Mike uses Gibson Guitars, Gibson Strings, Epiphone, Marshall, and Crate amplifiers, and Dunlop guitar Picks.