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I had a friend who bought a guitar to impress girls, never had any interest in music, musicians, or anything related to it, I tried my best to teach and motivate him, I even get back into playing after a 10 years break, gave him exercises and theory lessons I would use to myself, he said it was boring and refused to practice, he thought that guitar skill would come magically or something idk, 2 months later and he had given up. Your initial video is 100% correct, Instruments take dedication and you can't have dedication for something you don't have passion about.

Foolproof way to determine if something is for you or not: Ask yourself "Do I enjoy/love doing this?" If your answer is positive, it's likely that the thing is for you. If otherwise, you should most likely stop doing said thing.

When i was little, i would make guitar bodies out of cardboard and screw them to wooden shutter boards, about the same size as a guitar neck. Then i draw frets and inlays, pickups, and knobs. Bend a coat hanger into a trem arm, turn up the headphones, and be a rock star for hours and hours. Now i build guitars! Lol

Sitting here smoking cigarettes with a 57' telecaster in my lap that I only know 4 chords on. Who the fuck is Jenny Page? I'm gonna be a rockstar remember my name.

You said it as it is, guitar is a way of life, it is your friend, family, girlfriend and everything in between. You have to play it everyday just like you would talk to your wife or partner everyday. You really shouldn't have to explain this initially to a real guitar player. A player never stops learning whatever instrument they play. Rock on man!!

love how you keep it so real, everybodys so soft and quick to get offended cause theyre lazy.

this made me realize, if a guitarist plays in a band, i basically never know them by name

Bro is a real one for keeping it real and explaining himself.

I think a lot of people take it as "gatekeepy" because they think of it like you're trying to quiz them at a concert about their band Tee. I took it as being into guitar means having an understanding of what you like and want to play, which is a good indicator on how much you wanna learn. I started back recently and that video got me to dive deeper into bands and artists I like to really understand their guitar playing.

I've been playing guitar for 17 years learning new tricks every day. The guitar has saved my life countless times, never give up!

I’ve been at guitar for 5 months now. The dopamine segment is so true. I’m a fire sprinkler engineer currently and I spent the previous 3 years audio engineering. The 10 years prior I was a fire sprinkler inspector. All these things taught me is these things do not come easy. I remember my first month of guitar I battled with myself like dude I’m never going to get better. But the best things in life do not come easy. My basketball coach used to tell me “ if it was easy everyone would do it” and I’m 5 9 and I could dunk on a regulation rim. If you love something u will figure it out. If you want instant gratification this is not the thing for you but if you want instant gratification nothing worth while is for you.

I think you make some fair points. Having a passion for the guitar and a desire to know as much as possible about the guitar and guitarists will keep oneself motivated to keep practicing and moving forward. 👍😎

I think the main issue is that the short somewhat gives the impression that you shouldn't even touch a guitar if you're not willing to give your all about it, which feels like thinking in absolutes. Either you're die hard or you're not, which gives the impression of gatekeeping. I admit I'm not a serious guitar player, and probably by your definition not even a guitar player at all, since I only play when I'd like to. I play simply because I like the sounds that I make on my guitar. I have a few of guitarists or bands I can name that I like listening to and I consider to be my heroes, like Muse, MCR, Rolling Stones, Beatles, etc. and I do think about their music a lot, but I don't practice that much. Like I said, I don't consider myself as a serious player as I feel like I don't deserve to call myself that, but I do find that my life is better by simply being able to play casually. I think by making it sound like there is no space in between feels like you're denying people the pleasure of simply playing the guitar casually, which I think can be a bit unnecessary. But then again I'm a casual player who finds myself stumbling across a creator who's clearly talking to people who are much more serious than I am. And judging from the other comments in this video it seems like your methods works for them so I'm sure you know more than I do.

I’ve always been obsessed with music. Before starting guitar, I knew everything about all my favorite bands/musicians: pink floyd, queen, david bowie, led zeppelin, the cure, nirvana, etc. and I knew everything about the guitarists in each band as well. My biggest guitar inspiration has always been Ben Howard, and I learned his style of playing and it helped me begin to form my own style as well. I’ve only been playing for a year and a half, but all of my guitar playing friends/ family members tell me I’m improving super fast. I don’t feel like that I’m great to be honest, but I can say that I tend to learn songs rather quickly and I think I have a decent ear for music. Playing guitar has NEVER been a chore for me. Literally ever. I’ve always loved every moment of playing. When I bought my first guitar - a $300 Alvarez - I was playing for about 2-4 hours a day every day for the first 6 months. I just loved doing it. I think my biggest tip for beginners is to try learning songs that you really love, and if you can’t learn those songs, learn a riff or just one part from the song. I’m saying this to show that this guy isn’t entirely wrong. I was obsessed with guitar and it has made learning very easy going for me. That isn’t to say that you need to form your entire life around your instrument of choice, but I don’t think I would have stuck with it if I didn’t truly enjoy it so much.

started in school three years ago, barely progressed. I just recently started to accually get into guitar.

love hanging out and watching your long form videos. keep it up!!

You can literally just say "Periphery" and hit the 5 guitarist quota. Misha, Jake, Mark, Nolly and Spencer all write/play lmao. The bar is set so low that you'd have a hard time even tripping over it.

I tried playing many years ago when i was around 14-15. Didnt have the drive to do it. Picking it up again at 32. Been making great progress and appreciate your videos. Thank you for putting em up.

Damn it feels like I'm watching a self improvement video. And its not that 10mins quick edits bs with background music, talking about the top 10 ways pf getting whatever goal. Its a genuine video. I really do appreciate the video dude. Even though I have no idea who you are, have a good day brother.

Bro... you nailed it. Guitar is hard and you do have to put the work into it to progress. You have to be consistent. 🎶💯

I agree with everything you said.... always enjoy your content. Hi from Calgary

I really enjoy the show. Keep telling it how it is!

I really agree on this. I started playing guitar about 10 years ago and didn't really have any interest in guitarists or paid attention to music as much in general. As I got older and wanted to actually learn, starting to find what really inspired me and finally figuring out who my favorite guitarist was, a couple years ago started lessons and taking it more seriously in general. So to me it's a really important thing because I think it helps to give motivation to practice.

I agree with Brandon, I started my guitar journey like 5 years ago, I was bullshitting and then as of lately (2 years ago) I’ve delve deeper into it and learned about different players. It felt like a natural transition to know. I’ve gotten a bit better-not where I wanna be but I’ve grown a lot. Keep dropping bars Brandon 🤘🏽

Respect for not giving in to the critisims and standing your ground

Your channel is GREAT. Learning guitar is hard. You have to want it bad enough and love everything about guitar. Patience and consistency is key. Also, you have to have fun playing. Not every step of learning guitar is fun but fun should absolutely be part of it. It takes great effort and lifelong learning. Keep going Brandon! 👍

This video just inspired me to pick the guitar to practice. And that’s all that matters: keep your passion!

i was really felling like not trying today like there is tomorrow but I have always been motivated by you thank you so much brandon I am actually wanting to quit my dopamine reception I will always be thankful for your content and trying harder to progress each day

I really enjoyed the deep dive, I hope it helps people consume information in a meaningful way in the future. This, like other things in life, if a video is going to upset you to the point of quitting, then you were probably looking for a reason. Not trying to be insensitive, but in general, life can be tough so navigating content and it's impact on you personally is something to be aware of and managed appropriately.

Wow that was as real ("serious") I've ever seen you! You are right Brandon.

If you rely on others to dictate how you choose/feel you are wasting your life over what others say and do. The reality is if you want to improve at a quick/steady rate and this goes for anything just do it and not rely on motivation, motivation is inconsistent and also a double-edged sword, if you are motivated but fail a lot you most likely will have a negative response to whatever you are doing but if you keep a good mindset/having fun (Practice can be fun and should be) you will grow faster than you think. I see a lot of people who say they hate practicing well it's probably not for you. You also shouldn't spend your entire day practicing we have around 4 - 6 hours of proper focus before diminishing returns can set in due to fatigue and can pick up bad habits that can also form more often because you are trying to compensate for your fatigue this goes for learning anything. If your goal is to master something you will need to devote a large portion of your life to it, if you say you don't have time you probably aren't serious about it we get 24 hours in a day you can choose how to use them making excuses as to why you can't do this and that will only set you up for failure it's a self-fulfilling prophecy and a mindset that will in the long run make you hate it. Especially now when everything is fighting for your attention and designed to keep you addicted to it, it's better just to cut out a lot of social media you can still use them but if you are spending hours a day on them, you aren't doing anything better for yourself you can watch 100 videos on how to do something but watching it doesn't actually help you improve. A lot of people will also say it's how they relax. Replace that time with learning something they are truly passionate about. Your favorite subject in school was most likely the one you did the best in/had the most interest in or had the most fun with. Basically, if you actually care about improving anything, cut out the fluff that takes your attention away It's around 23 minutes for your brain to actually refocus on a task after getting distracted and you have to be willing to give up your "free time" to actually improve and learn if it is a hobby for you are okay cool but if it's a hobby it shouldn't be causing stress it should be doing the opposite if your hobby causes you to stress you are doing it wrong and are setting yourself up to hate whatever your hobby is this is universal to learning anything/mastering it. Never rely on motivation rely on action the ones who grow the most have a better mindset and actually dedicate themselves to it and make time for it

Hey man don't read the comments honestly. There will always be hate and there's no reason to fill your head with hate.

Those people have completely missed your point, either intentionally or ignorantly. The important thing is, people that are here to learn have understood you and appreciated what you said.

Pretty accurate points in the short to be honest. I may not have started playing from a young age but it’s always something I wanted to do my parents weren’t able to afford guitar lessons when I was a kid I did do cello in my schools orchestra the cello was a school loaner that’s as close as I got to guitar as a kid it’s just now in my early thirties I’ve got the money to take the lessons and have a guitar to learn on that’s my own. as a kid it was Johnny cash’s music that got me first interested in guitar Elvis as well and several others like Malcolm young, paul McCartney, George Harrison and the like

this is one of the realest channels on KZfaq 😂

Excellent content here. I always ask questions to assess interest before investing my time in teaching any skill

Brandon's hardcore, like my jazz instructor, but he's correct. ANYTHING that you have interests in - you'll research and invest time in without it being a chore. I've played guitar for the last 13 years, and piano for 7. I've mostly been on stage for keys in an r&b band, but I'm a rocker first and can freely name my influences. If you don't invest time - you DON'T like it much.

You remind me of one of my favorite football coaches. He was a great motivator and very tough. It made me work harder when everyone else was out partying and more importantly game time come to play hard! 👊🏿

i respect how anopologetically honest you are with your takes. even if they are controversial, or even wrong or annoying. i'd much prefer a take i disagree with that stirs discussion, rather than a safe but boring one.

If you (indeed) love your partner, you want to be with her/him all the time. Not just when you have time for that. If you don't really want to be with her/him, then you'd better look for someone you really want to be with. The same goes for guitar.

I had absolutely no motivation when I first started playing when I bought my acoustic guitar 4 years ago. I was able to learn the opening part of "Wish You Were Here" and that's about it because it was too hard. I even bought an electric guitar because most songs I wanted to play weren't for an acoustic. It wasn't until last July that I started playing on a semi-consistent basis. I was a big pothead, and I was big into Electric Wizard at the time so I wanted to learn "Funeralopolis". It was such a simple song, but I hadn't played in so long that it was a challenge for me. Since then, I have been playing more consistently and trying to play songs all the way through. I am at the point where I can play "Iron Man" (without the solos) and "In Bloom" with the solo almost. Being able to play songs that I love motivates me to try different things, so I am now going back and learning the basics such as the 12 bar blues and simple songs such as "Wonderwall" and "Smoke on the Water". It is satisfying when you finally get it, and that is the driving factor most of the time to push you to better yourself. You are absolutely right about everything you said in this video. People just make excuses for themselves because they can't handle the truth and don't want to put in the work to get better.

I've only been playing for 7 months now, originally learnimg through apps, but never feeling like i would grasp the concepts- thanks to channels like you, bernth, and other music theory channels i finally felt like i grasped things- very rarely have i ever felt as enthralled by concepts like with music- i never learned an instrument till 21 though! got scared out of it by an overly strict and uninspiring violin teacher in 5th grade. but god, i am SWEATING running through the modes, and even after putting down the guitar at 2am i simply cannot stop thinking about it, every little puzzle fitting together just feels amazing, unlike anything else ever. i listen to songs hearing riffs and licks and getting goosebumps over the ingenuity- seeing tim henson play for the first time had me screaming inside, the things he did had never even occured to me, and even more of them i still dont understand, but ill be damned if i dont spend 2hrs a day watching theory and practicing it until i reach those levels!

you know youtube isn't for you when you get copyright strike from yourself for reacting to your own video.

Dude, ...hearing you having to explain your video, 'Is Guitar For You?' made my balls shrivel up into my body. It was a perfectly simple, rational message and well executed. Whoever posted negative responses apparently got all butthurt because you hit a nerve. When that exposed nerve is hit, you are going to get responses... negative responses, such as the ones that you got. Keep up the good work! (And no more explaining...you're doing you and it's working...!) 😊😊😊

didn't expect to get a discipline lesson from this, but very mature video and good takes

Its my first time watching a long form video from brandon

Mozart proved some are born with it, some not as much.

I think you can also interpret the first point in a different way. As a very new guitar player I saw your short and couldn't off the top of my head name 5. But I wanted to figure out more about guitar and after like a week of scrolling and listening to people and stories about Hendrix, Page, Clapton, May, David Gilmour and so many more it actually made me more motivate to learn and I even started learning the forbidden riff for when I need to go to a guitar store again.

Keep rocking fam. Keep telling the truth I hate to practice until I start doing it then it becomes fun. Lol Learning right hand muting technique I incorporate it going through the circle of fifths with arpeggios

To me it's more about one thing, the sense of satisfaction when you play something that sounds pretty good, especially if you made it up yourself. But it doesn't matter what it is,if you play it and like it then you'll naturally want to keep at it and improve. If you don't really feel it then probably guitar isn't for you, why do something that doesn't float your boat? Some of the ideas I get happen when I'm nowhere near a guitar, then I can't wait to get home and try it. I may not be particularly good but nonetheless guitar is for me and I've never once questioned otherwise. I've no idea what point I was trying to make but have a great day.

I almost gave up because i'm left handed. I had to learn to play right handed, and it was very akward and uncomfortable at first. I'm glad I stuck to it

ive got mad respect to this guy, im fourteen and have been playing guitar for around 6 years now and i love it. Brandon has helped me develope an unfathomable understanding of the whole guitar. Ive never heard an invalid point from this man. idc if im glazing hes goated asf. yall gotta subscribe or sum if youre tryna learn guitar, he dumbs things down a lot for all of us intellectual minions.

I always wanted to play guitar as a youth. I love your shorts, just started watching the long form. I realized 2 years ago I’m old enough to afford gear and have access to unlimited info. So I started teaching myself, I play and practice everyday. The first year I was mildly interested, the second year I focused on goals and improved a shitload. Being decent or even just good at a genre of guitar takes a lot of work and time investment. Now I play everyday and make massive strides and even record music with friends. As far as naming famous players, my current gf who’s been playing for a long time listened to some riffs I’ve been writing lately and asked if Akira Takasashi was a big influence. That’s a level of guitar obsession I’ve never realized existed.

sach a nice video!!

I needed that “just leave”. Now I’m motivated again.

I really like this video. Talking about dopamine and how it affects people's desire for guitar is very accurate. TikTok (and KZfaq Shorts) brain has fucked a lot of people into instant gratification. I specifically got into guitar about a year and a half ago for this reason. Besides having a fascination with guitar for a long time, I really needed to try something I was not good at and that would take time. My main problem is I don't want to go get lessons, so I have been brute forcing a lot of steps to learning. But even doing the bare minimum theory has proved to be infinitely rewarding. I simply will never get bored of the guitar because it will have something new every time.

Youre not wrong brandon All the people that got mad are probably upset they felt a certain way when you said “guitar isnt for you “ But you’re so right i started playing about 2 years ago now and guitar has consumed everything about my life I went from knowing nothing to endlessly ingesting more and more info about gear , music theory , famous players and the general history of electric guitar just essentially everything there is guitar related im just absorbing it like a sponge and all that interest has definitely helped me progress faster

I remember when before I began college and wanted to learn to how to play the piano, I really loved listening to music, especially with the piano and believed that it was the right fit for me. I expressed my thoughts to my brother who was maybe a Grade 7ish pianist back then and I still remember what went down. He literally looked at me dead in the eye with a very serious face and asked me a simple question Are you sure? I thought I would hear something along the lines of motivating me or Goodluck etc. but I was shocked. I bought and played the keyboard, and I was the same kind of person Brendon described; fast forward 3 years and my piano now sitting and catching dust by my bedside. He's absolutely right. The people who have devoted their time to their craft know exactly what kind of mindset is required to excel, and they feel a bit 'sad' when people throw out big decisions like buying and playing an instrument just on impulse and then complain about not getting better. They just give up quick. This video should be shown to any instrument/art/sport player, because one should know exactly what they are getting into, before getting into it. Otherwise its a disrespect to the craft as a whole, as the instrument/equipment just sits in the corner biting dust for years on end. I just feel guilt now when I look at my Keyboard. P.s - Yes, I'm gonna restart playing.

I grew up around rock music. Looking at albums covers made me think "I want to be that guy". Liking and being interested in guitars was a very natural thing for me. My parents never bought me a guitar even though I asked for one every Christmas. I could be a rock star by now! lol Well, working on it.. rock on! Lars

Completely agree with all of this tbh. I started learning guitar when I was around 12 (I'm 28 now) and was obsessed with it - it's all I wanted to do after school, I would just sit and practice, learning songs, eventually writing etc. The reality is that getting good on any instrument is a lot of time and work, and you have to genuinely want to do it to get any good (and I'm not even an amazing guitar player). I have other interests in my life now, but my love of music and guitar I know will always be there - it's just a part of who I am. That's how you know

22:17 “if your gonna let someone on the internet have that much influence over you” okay brandon we all agree however, we have to take in context your position to your audience you are a seasoned, educated guitarist who knows a lot about the instrument. So if someone who I know is smarter than me about a topic tells me i probably don’t have the love I “think” I do I’ll be more inclined to be influenced by the educated guitarist rather than some random dunce on the internet.

In my teenage years I used to think learning guitar wasnt that hard, everyone seemed to be trying to learn it. 20 years later, I personally know maybe 3 guitar players who actually know what they are doing. And learning it myself now... damn it is hard work. Fun work, frustrating work, demanding work, and well-worth-the-effort work (for me).

I totally agree to the points your making. You have to have the drive or you'll never actually learn much... not just guitar but anything in life. The more care and attention to something the better you will be.

you are 100 percent correct....I would ask anyone who wants to play guitar, what player would you like to sound like

100% agree. How could anyone not know famous players of their instrument?

People definitely went overboard with this short, I'm a bassist so I can't say it fully applies to me, but all of your points are fair and it's not gatekeepy

"Idk what to tell you man 😮‍💨" spoken like a true music teacher lol

Sometimes i feel like I consume too much guitar content 😂😂

I love how you keep it real. People are easily offended or just don't want to face the reality.

Agree with you about “when you have time” you got to MAKE time for the things you love.

Honestly Brandon first point is important. When you are invested in something you want to seek out those who are the best in their fields. Something to aspire and learn from, will I ever be that good? It takes a ton of discipline to be that amazing of a guitarist and truthfully I may not even that discipline yet I still have a fire to pickup the guitar everyday, learn something new, try new things because it is honestly fun and well I think about it a lot.

I’ll also add that I’m putting more effort in than I have in a few years since I want to learn finger style I’ve seen so many videos and it’s motivated me to get better at guitar

this video reminds me why I'm subbed

I think this is true for any creative discipline.. art, music, writing, whatever. Actually, I saw the original video and it was a lightbulb moment for me that, yeah, if I am interested in being a better musician or artist, I have to have people that inspire me. It's honestly my no.1 priority now, so thanks.

I watch your videos because they are very entertaining. And you are very good . I play guitar, i can improvise pretty good , I like playing songs singing and play in bar bands. If you can't name ten or more guitarist guitar is not for you I watch a lot guitar videos and learn tons or things on the guitar very fast,.Compared to they way I use to learn picking the needle up and down on the record. most things I play I can just use the minor and major pentatonic and some passing tones or the inbetween notes and that usually works for me.

Nobody likes being disciplined, but everyone likes having discipline. Being able to control yourself and understand what things really mean beyond the surface level is very important!! It's why I love the intensity of this channel. Can't wait for the age reveal at 1mil.

I don't need someone to tell me. I can play for hours on end without running out of stuff I want to play. I always come back to learn a song that's stuck in my head every couple of months. I love it and it's the same as riding a bike. I can never forget it.

What people also need to realise is the fact that a lot of this short form content HAS to be super quick and shallow to fit in more info. I believe that he was intentionally not explaining a lot of his thoughts and not drifting from the main focus to fit all of the points in 60 seconds. Also, being slightly controversial ALWAYS boosts engagement and encourages discussion in the comments section. Any reasonable human should be aware of this

I feel like a lot of these people are talking about guitar as a casual hobby, while your point was more about guitar as a passion

My inspiration to start learning guitar was from playing guitar hero with my housemates in university. We got all the guitar hero games on the wii and played it almost everyday. I got my first guitar 5 months ago for Christmas and I'm loving it

Puts down guitar and sobs uncontrollably. Lights cigarette.

I've been playing guitar for 2 and a half years and I can see progress but it is minimal. It's normal so I'm trusting the process. I'm happy where I am at the moment but I still strive for better results as one should.

As someone who started only a few months ago can confidently say practicing more does help a lot, the days I played for 3-4+ hours I learned 10x more and improved 10x faster than if I just played one hour or less.

I agree. like if sombody is on tiktok 4 hours a day insted of playing guitar there is no way that they can say they love guitar

Man I love to Surf been doing it for 55 years, I can name 10 surfers for every decade since 1960 till now, I am a Professional Chef and I can do the same with Acclaimed Chefs, If You are into something passionately how can You NOT KNOW THESE SORT Of FACTS?✌❤🤗

Honestly, I completely agree. I don't see anything wrong with what he said, personally. Great videos btw. Always stand for what you believe and keep it up. Thanks.

Everyday I'm thinking about how I can improve my practice - longing to play as much as the longing I feel to turn on and listen to the music that inspired me to play to begin with ....pete loeffler, chino, zach hansen, dave grahs, ross roland, gavin rossdale, bernth, mark tremonti, slash, van halen, paul reed smith... Your monkey's uncle, or a relative who also inspired you to play. Depression sets in for me when life gets in the way and I had to skip a practice. 100% thanks for the vid, gave me nothing but reassurance that I'm on the right path.

Keep speaking your fucking mind dude .

Gatekeeping to me is when the set some barrier you have pass to do it. Like money is keeper, if they make it too expensive to get into that gate I can't get by. That was reality in my childhood for guitar. Didn't have the money to buy a guitar let alone some lessons. Now is awesome, guitars are easier to get and all the online content. Not just lessons but inspiration too.

brandon is my president and i love him

I know a shit ton of bands but not too many guitarists even though the bands are metal/very guitar centric. Appreciate this video.

Nah your Tiktok was actually the most based and real hot take youve ever published.

"Oh you like guitar? Name every guitar player" hahaha i think it was a joke dude that is hilarious

When I first started I was trying to teach myself classic rock and I couldn’t motivate myself to practice every day. A couple months in my grandad started teaching me bluegrass and ever since I’ve been obsessed. I practice 5-6 hours a day and listen to guitar music when I’m not playing.

Bro, i cant even remember my own birthday...

As a Berklee student, you’re absolutely right. I would like to add that there comes a certain point where some of these can be bent but you need to have years of experience. I know many people that don’t have to practice for gigs, yet they’ve played for tens of years. I know other guys who pickup new instruments and don’t have those influences for that instrument but they have had years to play and learn music elsewhere.

I only know like 2 famous-ish players, but im doing pretty good in terms of keeping myself motivated and i love practicing first thing in the morning. My guitar is literally a part of my daily routine, i play when stressed, when happy, when i want to and when i don't. I love yr videos btw, favorite content to watch❤❤

Hell yeah Brandon!!! Fook the haters!!!!!

To say something like this to an absolute beginner may be unreasonable, but after a few months or whatever time it takes for someone to truly give it a go, all of the points are completely valid. For me, I have always been interested in music since very early on, what i mean is, about the same time my peers spent playing video games, i spent listening to music. Almost all of the music i liked had guitar and I was very interested in melodies and individual instrument parts in the songs i was listening. I always wanted to play guitar, mainly because I wanted to make my own music with it. But life got in the way and I always had some problems that prevented me from starting. At the age of 25 something broke in me, I guess I realized the train is running away from me, Im getting older and I may never do all the things I wanted to do, so I stopped putting things on hold and picked up a guitar for the first time in my life. If you asked me to name famous guitar players at that point, I dont really know if I would come up with any, I could name a lot of bands and songs that inspire me, I would probably even know the faces of a lot of the players that play them, but I would not know their names. A few months after starting guitar, I could give you a list. Presumably if you are interested in guitar and just starting out, not knowing things is not a sign of disinterest and with time you are gonna learn more and more, if after a year, you werent interested enough to learn anything, then I would say whats the point. When the guy at the interview asked you that, presumably you already knew to play guitar and if you were into jazz, should have known these players, but for someone picking up a guitar for the first time, they dont need to know any to start playing, and once they do, they will come across them and remember.