Years ago I took my young sons around age 13 to a really good guitar teacher and he taught them songs they wanted to learn to play. Today, they are both really good guitar players. My oldest son has been in several metal bands in California and now in Sweden. Anyone can pooh poo metal music, but technically it's difficult. My youngest son plays jazz guitar and is a serious musician. During his time playing he's learned to play piano and knows theory. I would say if they hadn't started with songs they would have been totally bored during their early teen years and maybe would not have stayed with music. Maybe for some people a classical style of training works and that's fine, but for a lot of youngun's they just want initially to learn to play the songs of the bands they like.

We are all different in how we learn and what we want to do with music. I think Joanne's idea is great and would benefit many people. There's nothing wrong with people who play and just want to learn songs. I see the same thing in the art world, many professional artists don't think hobbyist artists have any merit or shouldn't be trying to sell their paintings. How many professional artists always made fun of Bob Ross' pretty little trees from his TV series teaching housewives how to paint? Bob probably made more money than the college educated painters.

Also, I can name you many big name musicians would could not read music Jimi Hendrix, Glen Campbell, Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Jimmy Page, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Eddie Van Halen, Robert Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaugh, Tommy Emmanuel as well as others. A pretty impressive list and these guys made millions, so don't have an attitude about you're a pseudo musician.

But to Eddie's defense and point, for those who can and want to put in the time, money and energy to become top professionals, I appauld them. Not all of us have those resources and maybe that's not what we want to do. But we can still enjoy creating music and that's where BIAB comes in and we all so appreciate that. I'm a pretty good lyricist and feel I am a musician at some level, although I could never play in a big orchestra, nor sing opera, but I don't care to. But maybe Eddie couldn't write lyrics and maybe doesn't care too. We are all different and that's what makes the world go round and we should all appreciate that.

Last edited by Belladonna; 08/19/20 12:04 PM.