Guitar Tips I Would Tell My Younger Self

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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... .

Episode Transcript

Steve (00:00):
Hey, Steve Stine from Guitar Zoom Academy here, thank
you so much for joining me.
I had somebody that contactedme and asked me a really
interesting question about whatwould I tell my younger self as
a guitar player, and I took sometime to think about that a
little bit and thought that wasreally interesting, thinking
back to how many years I've beenplaying, how long I've been

(00:20):
playing not just years but thehours I've spent practicing and
what I would tell my youngerself.
And the first thing I think isI loved my passion and my
dedication to, you know,practicing diligently that sort
of thing.
One thing I wish I would havehad is more organization, more

(00:42):
of a game plan, not just beingall over the place.
I think I developed some reallygreat physical skills,
memorizational skills, some eartraining because of the way I
grew up playing, you know,learning how to play songs by
ear off records and things likethat but I never developed
certain musical skills.
When I was younger I couldn'timprovise, at least not in a,

(01:06):
you know, creative, melodic,dynamic context.
I certainly could over, likeyou know, just shredding things
really fast, but really tryingto make connections musically.
I didn't have that skill.
The other thing is is that Ididn't spend any time working on
creativity, songwriting.
You know how all of that kindof stuff works and I really wish
I had done that as well.

(01:27):
I think I could have made a lotmore progress if I had had an
actual game plan of practicethat included more than just,
you know, theory or technique orsomething like that.
I think I could have made evenmore progress back then in
places that I find myself now,have made even more progress
back then in places that I findmyself now, and certainly in the

(01:48):
creative aspects of writing andthings.
It's always been something thatI enjoy doing, but I just,
because of the way my lifestyleand what I already do for a
living, I don't find myselfhaving enough time for some of
those things and I really wish Ihad made more time when I was
younger.
So it was part of you know whoI am, and the other thing I

(02:08):
would definitely say is learningto sing better, like spending
more time vocally learning tosing, and not just.
You know I'm one of thoseguitar players.
Like I spent all my timeplaying guitar and uh, didn't
really focus on anything else.
You know, nothing else was inmy line of sight.
You know piano or get vocal oranything.

(02:29):
I just was just hell bent onplaying guitar.
And again, I'm thankful.
Don't get me wrong.
I'm very thankful.
I'm just saying if I could goback and talk to my younger self
about things, I woulddefinitely say having a more
holistic guitar game plan wouldhave been really beneficial
long-term and I think that wouldhave been the biggest one is

(02:52):
being able to cover more ground.
You know, the thing you learn isthat you don't know what you
don't know.
The only thing you know is whatyou know.
And where do you know that from?
Well, you know it from a friendor a teacher or a relative or,
nowadays, videos and that sortof thing, and sometimes it's the
right information at the righttime.
Sometimes it's the rightinformation but at the wrong

(03:12):
time, and sometimes it's thewrong information.
It doesn't mean it's badinformation, it just means it's
not what you need.
And see, the one benefit that Ithink I had back then is that
because I didn't have YouTubenone of that stuff existed back
then there wasn't so much noise,there wasn't so much
distraction, so I could work onthe things that I was working on

(03:36):
, 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 saytoo, is working with actual
players.
Like I was always alone Growingup in Fargo, north Dakota.
I didn't have any other guitarfriends or there was minimal

(03:56):
teachers back then.
To be able to be around otherpeople, motivated guitar players
, you know, a teacher orwhatever it might've been.
All of all of the aboveprobably would have been really,
really, really cool.
And um, to stay motivated tolearn new things and go, oh, I
didn't even know you could dothat or how does that work?
Or, you know, to ask questionsabout things.

(04:18):
I never had that opportunitywhen I was a kid.
The only thing I had, you know,was my ear in the beginning.
And then the guitar magazinestarted becoming popular.
You know, guitar world, guitarplayer, guitar for the
practicing musician, some ofthose and, um, you know I would
buy those and then I would readeverything in them and try and
work on anything that was ineach one of those magazines,

(04:39):
mostly songs, but there werelittle, you know, technique
things or theory things or stufflike 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 wrongor how something worked, and I
really think I could have made alot more progress if I had
something like that as well.
So, you know, just something tothink about.
Maybe you're in the samesituation, you know, trying to

(05:02):
figure out what it is thatyou're trying to do, and it's
worth giving it a thought.
So anyway, uh, thanks for yourtime.
Take care, stay positive, keeppracticing and figure out a good
game plan, like never stopplaying, never stop playing your
guitar.
You know, just, you need tofind a solution, something that
works for you, and if you'vealready found it, then hey, god

(05:22):
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 checkout the Guitar Zoom Academy, see
if that's something that fitsyou.
You know you can always set upan interview and we can talk
about it and just see if it'ssomething that works for you,
and if it doesn't, it doesn't.
And if it does, it's time toget going.
It's time to change where youare into what you want to.