Most novice guitarists, it seems to me, start out emulating established players. These pros, for any number of reasons, have a sound or approach that really resonates with beginners who attempt to copy more accomplished players. Classic guitar hero worship can, and occasionally does, reach cult status.

When I first began to play the classic guitar (about a hundred years ago), the Segovia cult was in full swing. It seemed like a guitarist's career could hang in the balance- "Would Segovia approve?" Those of us who saw the foolishness of this mindset were often pressed to justify our hopes and dreams of ever having any semblance of a career. Fortunately, there were those pioneers, like Narciso Yepes, whom could not have cared less what the status quo thought-and had a long, successful journey with the 10-string guitar. When I was 20, I worried what people thought of me. When I was 40, I didn't care what people thought of me. Now that I am in my 50's, I realize that people haven't even been thinking about me!

I am saying all this to encourage you to stop and take inventory....Who are you, and why are you playing the guitar? What drew you to the guitar in the first place? What can you do to make a contribution in this messed-up world- to make life richer for someone, even if it's only for yourself? Only you can decide, and it takes courage to step out on that path! It's much easier to goose-step with the crowd, doing what is socially or academically expected. It would be a sad thing indeed, to reach the end of one's life and realize you spent it telling someone else's story. Whoever you are, regardless of age, sex, race, etc., you have a musical story that only you can tell. You have your own influences, surroundings, talents, genes, and outlook on life that make you what you are. When you weave all that into your approach to the guitar and music in general-then you start to carve your niche, to speak with your own voice.

I started on my own journey many years ago, when I became disillusioned with the endless one-upmanship in the classical guitar world. I had checked into a local university, to see about earning a guitar degree, because I had been told that I should do just that. I found that I needed a lot of remedial credits before I could even be a student. At the time, I was playing quite a bit, especially on the East Coast, so I offered to give a recital for a very reasonable fee. After the recital, they offered me a teaching position! I could be a teacher; I was already doing what the students hoped to do someday, playing professionally- but I couldn't be a student!

Listen carefully-if you want to survive in today's world as a guitarist, you'd better find your voice and shout it from the hilltops! With colleges cranking out 100 classical guitarists for every gig- it now behooves us to invent our own venues, and create our own opportunities. I don't see any alternative. Unless you really think you're going to play the traditional guitar repertoire better than, say, John Williams did (think about that one for a minute), you must develop your own path. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Where to start? I feel that the very first step is to promise yourself that you are not going to play the "elitist" game. I lived and worked in Nashville for many years, and I always appreciated the openness of most players- that is, the same fiddler that worked with a chamber orchestra in the afternoon might have a gig with a bluegrass band the same evening. You must admit, there is an invisible, yet tangible thread that runs through the best examples of each genre. I am a fingerstylist, but I once got the bright idea to enter some flatpicking contests in the Nashville area. I won the first one I entered, and the other players came back with a vengeance- I never even placed the rest of the season! Don't think that because a particular style is not what you do, that it's easy or not valid. Enjoy those who play different styles, and incorporate (I would never actually steal anything) what you can into your own bag!

Step Two particularly applies to the classical guitar realm. Accept the fact that nobody owes you a gig, owes you respect, owes you anything. You've got to make your own way! I always look at my audience the same way, whether large or small: The world is a big place. The world of music, though expansive, is still a small part of life on earth to the vast majority. The guitar comprises but a fraction of the music world. The classical guitar is a fraction of the guitar world, and I am one of many, many guitarists who are out there sharing their music with the world. I try to do my very best, just as any conscientious machinist, mechanic, artist, teacher, or plumber would. See what I mean? If you get a gig large or small, appreciate the fact that your audience took time out of their busy schedules to listen to you. Remember too, if you are playing solely for other guitarists, you've just cut your audience down to a fraction of its potential. You can still play great music- and great guitar- without playing the "this-ought'a-impress-the-other players" game.

Till next time,
Have fun!