May 2025 Challenge Response – Alan O

[Alan O]

Hey AM’ers, here is my “light bulb” moment and it only took me 40 years to figure it out! I’m obviously a slow learner. I give all the credit to Brian and ActiveMelody for helping me realize this.

May 2025 AM Challenge

Alan

[charjo]

Best advice of all, Alan, I wish I understood this when I started seriously 10 years ago. I’m still guilty of this to this day.
Some of the catchiest stuff you hear is not complicated. Your intro was a great example but don’t sell it short, there was a good deal of skill and knowledge in that little improv.
John

[Bill]

Sage advice Alan. I too did that; learning many little riffs, intros, and hooks but not the full song. I’ve come to realize learning a whole song makes the next one easier and you can build upon the knowledge you gain by deep diving on a tune.

But those riffs are like candy vs. the whole song which is like a balanced meal with a big helping of broccoli. 🙂

[Alan L]

Agreed! I find this comes up when we start to play with other people. It forces us to play the simplest version of whatever we are doing, to serve the song and group (and to avoid our mistakes sticking out!) 😆

[KT]

Hi Alan
What a great advice to guitar players who sometimes feel frustrated because they are not learning or playing like what they see on on you tube etc…Play what you can and don’t compare yourself with others.

Great advice

Thank you
KT

[AndréM]

I agree with you. Play what you have the skills to play and not something you can’t like for me I will never be a shredder,lol.
I love what you play in your intro, sounds great and simple, love it.

AndréM

AndréM

[James B]

I can relate, Alan. I tried to learn “La Grange” on my acoustic way back when.
I got nowhere. But strum a couple of simple Dylan songs and I was a happy guitar picker. 🎸😀

James

[Michael L]

Really great thinking Alan. I recall back in college while I was just starting to fiddle around with guitar. My roommate and his friend played electric guitars, but it was really just a collection of licks from the popular songs of the day. “Oh, cool! You know that lick? Show me!” But, true music was rarely occurring. Kudos for this realization, and thanks to Brian for creating lessons for us each week that ARE real music.

[Paul S.]

It’s absolutely true that music doesn’t need to be complex or hard to play in order to be great music. Neither is creativity only the province of highly skilled performers. Thanks for the reminder.

[JoeD1]

That was a nice intro Andy and had quite a catchy melody. Great advice too! I was trying to learn finger style, slide, and a lot of complicated other stuff. Now I’m focusing on blues and using a pick. There’s something to be said for K.I.S.S.

Joe

The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge

[sunjamr]

Wise words, Alan. I have several friends who just learn licks from popular songs, and don’t know a single song from start to finish. It’s really amazing how many guitarists learn, for example, the intro from “Stairway to Heaven”, or Angus Young’s fast intro lick in AC/DC’s “Thunder”, but can’t play any improv whatsoever.

Sunjamr Steve

[JoLa]

I love your light bulb moment, Alan!

So glad you addressed that because my situation is the opposite, I never learned any songs and thanks to years of Active Melody I started making my own music BUT I always feel like a beginner or inadequate because I don’t know how to play songs everyone else knows. You gave us a good demonstration, too – a great showcase, well said and done, and thank you!

🎸JoLa

[Laurel C]

Good solid advice Alan. It covers areas that we can relate to when learning this instrument. Sometimes we look at how much we don’t know without using what we do know. Enjoyed listening to the pep talk and what you had to say while having a cup of tea in hand. I like these lightbulb challenges when they come around.

[Wayne Nunez]

My friend this was the best advice,I totally agree sometimes we get so caught up in learning so many things that we don’t even apply what we already know to making music,and isn’t that the point,to actually play something musical,I find it so relaxing and I think we all should just turn on a song and simply play along,that helps tremendously!

[Manfred M]

I agree with you 100%, Alan. I also think it’s one of the most important things to play something on the guitar that doesn’t overstretch your abilities. It can be challenging, but not overwhelming.
Above all because it keeps the fun of playing the guitar alive. And to be honest, that’s what’s most important to me.

Take the chance to meet your AM friends on Zoom
The next Meetup will probably take place in July/August 2025

There will be a detailed announcement here in the forum in good time.

I look forward to meet you.
Manfred

[Jennifer D]

Oh yes Alan your advice makes me feel so much better, thank you. Love your intro it was very catchy!

[Gary W]

I feel somewhat validated by your key message here Alan. I think I normally do what you recommend – but theres a voice in my head that criticises this as ‘resting on my laurels’ and not sudying consistently enough. It’s great to hear the message .. thank you.

Gary

[Martin W]

Nice improv at the start , simple wins every time in my book , I totally agree with your breakthrough, there is so much music in what we already know .
Sometimes YouTube is not our friend there’s always something new and shiny that grabs the attention, but in reality it’s better to focus on one thing at a time .

Martin

[Denise]

I totally agree with you. You don’t learn to play the guitar when you just try to cover songs.
I like what you do. You chose such a nice simple chord progression and played a very tasty lead on top. Love these licks! But what I like most was that catchy rhythm with the stop inbetween.
Super tone on your Tele.
You sound very musical 🎸🙏.
Denise

More Blues!

[Pap]

Great advice Alan. Ive been working on basic bluegrass tunes and even though they are simple…I get the satisfaction of knowing it and being able to understand melody, rhythm and putting it together with a metronome …all the moving parts makes it a little more complex…at least for me. Cheers. Pap

[Mark T]

Excellent and sound advice, Alan – it’s a trap that most of us fall into! Sadly, a lot of people give up when they realise they can’t just pick up and play that iconic solo right from the get-go, and end it there ☹️ It’s so sad, because, as we know, there’s so much joy to be had playing music, if only we put in a small amount of effort and start slow. – Mark 👍🎶😎

[Dieter]

Very nice playing.

Dieter

[Serena C]

thank you Alan, I tend to be as you were in 1985, so thanks for reminding me that less is more and also more fun!

If I wasn't making mistakes I wouldn't be the kind of player I want to be. Perfection is dangerous.
It's all about taking risks, sometimes you get to some place, sometimes you get to a different place. (Brian May)

[Bob Utberg]

Great advice Alan!!! Guilty as charged at times for me!! A couple of years ago, my goal was to learn SRV’s version of Little Wing “note for note!” All 13 verses of it!! What a joke!!! Now, I take some of his ideas and make them my own when I play this iconic beauty of a song. Nicely done!

Bob U. (aka Bobby Ut)

[Author]

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