In the guitar community, instructors would try to teach you how to play like your favorite guitar heroes. They would release books, DVDs and even youtube videos to try to teach how to play guitar in the style of Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Joe Satriani, Eric Clapton, BB King, etc. I think you get my point now right? The truth is this is just a silly myth going around in guitar playing. I know how you wanted to pick up the guitar to trying to sound like your guitar hero but you have to learn to accept the fact that you’re never going to sound like your guitar hero. Whether you wanna sound like Hendrix and Page or whoever, you’re never gonna sound like them. You can try to copy their licks note for note all you want to but you’re never gonna get their tone and style.

Some instructors would try to give you the advice that if you wanna improve your playing, they’ll tell you to try to copy the style of your favorite guitar player. Sorry but I disagree. I would suggest to try to stay away from copying your favorite guitarists. If you want your own style in lead guitar and soloing, don’t copy from others. It’s okay to steal and borrow a lick here and there… I do that too but don’t play their solos note for note. Even if you play their solos note for note, you’re not gonna get their style and tone. You’re still gonna get your own.

If you wanna be a better guitar player, don’t play other people’s guitar solos. Always play your own spontaneously. Learn improvisation and practice ear training. That’s what I’m most focused on right now. My ear training skills is getting better and improving greatly. I’m starting to understand the sound of some the keys. Not all of them but getting there. If you wanna be a great lead guitarist and really want it… gotta stay focused. Learning from others will keep you distracted, in my opinion. This is why I always preferred to be a self-taught player and always will be.

Learning from other styles is the wrong way to go. You want your own style and your own guitar tone. While I do like to do cover songs once in a while, I’ll never learn the guitar solos note for note ’cause that’s not what I want to do. I wanna come up with my own licks and phrases.

So don’t believe all that shit when instructors try to teach you how to learn a style of a certain guitar player. It’s all a crock of shit and it’s all a marketing ploy to promote their products.

The truth is, you can start a Led Zeppelin or a Hendrix tribute band all you want to but you’re never gonna sound exactly like ’em. Never. Each guitar player has their own sound. Jimmy Page and Hendrix will always sound like themselves and nobody else can sound like ’em even though they try.

So really, enough with the “Learn guitar in the style of (name guitar player here)” crap ’cause it just doesn’t work. It’s just a stupid myth going around in the guitar community.

Kev