I get so saddened when I read comments like, "well I'm sorry for ever touching an instrument", "no matter how good you are, there's a Chinese kid who's better". I know they're jokes but many people do feel that way deep down and I wish they'd learn to love the music regardless of skill

Someone I know once had a successful music career as a young person and then decided to play jazz. Very soon he abandoned electric guitar for piano, took a degree in composition, studying all styles of classical music and jazz, apparently mastered all of them woodshedding for the last 40+ years. But none of us have heard a note of his music in all this time. I suppose Heaven will be the place where we can hear all the fruits of his solo labors for my entire adult life, but not this world.

Thank you for talking about mental health without immediately transitioning into a better help ad 😂

Recording kind of changed my life. Late last year I started writing and recording 1 short piece of music a week, without the pressure of it needing to be good. Sometimes it's just a riff, other times it's more fleshed out. The feeling of setting out to record anything at all, and sometimes stumbling on something beautiful that genuinely resonates with you is incredible. It's also kind of cool having a piece of music to represent each week of my life now, like a weird musical journal that captures how I was feeling.

I heard you say at the end that you don’t think this video “will do well” but if your goal here is to help people just know that I run a small nonprofit organization that focuses on musicians’ mental health in my local community. Fully intend on sharing this with my leadership team, including it as a piece of research in our general lit review, as well as sharing it with my music students. Great stuff, mate and I am so glad you took the time to put this together. A lot of people need this

It's easy to look at your peers and get discouraged. It's easy to forget all the work you have put in, all the progress you made. When we surround ourselves with other musicians, we thrive, but we also forget that we are a small group of weirdos, we quickly think the whole world is seeing right through us, seeing us for the fraud we perceive ourselves to be. Music is truly one of the most beautiful things the human experience has to offer, and we get to make it. And when someone is better than us at it, we should be thrilled and inspired instead of discouraged like we often do. Someone on tumblr once wrote "Whenever you're doubting your abilities, just remember that you are literally making an inanimate object sing". You're giving a voice to a piece of wood, or a piece of brass, or whatever else. You're making magic

"The world doesn't need more monsters." YES! Exactly what I needed to hear. Great advice. Great video. Thanks for making this for us.

I was a hotshot “whizz kid” and over-practiced throughout my teens and early 20’- it’s taken me 2 decades to unlearn a lot of the psychological and physical tension i unwittingly habituated. For me now, as an older musician, relaxation is paramount to optimal practice- the more chilled out I am the better. Your insights here resonated with me a great deal. Thank you.

You might as well have saved my career as a musician. People say things come when you need them the most, and I came in contact with this video. Been struggling with the constant battle with myself during my shed practice. Thank you

"You can't win music" can also even be contextualized as "you can't beat the shed". Treating a song like a finished product rather than a changing piece of life. Of course you should absolutely record, soon, and often, and be mindful that you can always change it. Some of the most moving music I've heard is a live version or genuine rerecording of a song i already liked. The shed has no goal. You need to set goals in the shed. Attainable, like, you know you can achieve it in a month's time, goals.

6:05 one of the best investments you can have for an electric guitar is a looper pedal. Quick recordings that you can listen to, play over to practice consistancy, and the recordings arent things that stick around long enough for you to beat yourself up over them well after youve progessed past that skill level, like regular recordings do.

I’m a burnt out arrogant musician

Many times, woodshed sessions for me end up feeling like the movie Whiplash. Being super hard on myself, no grace for mistakes, etc. But I know better, and you’ve reaffirmed the power of practicing with positivity, focus and patience. Julian Lage also had some wonderful advice on this topic at a recent show. Thanks Philip! Great video.

While it may not hit the algorithm hard, please know it's appreciate. Having a plan and focusing on what you want out of your time in the shed is so important.

The shed isn’t a toxic place, the relationship a musician can form with the shed is what can be toxic.

Thank you for taking the time to create this video and the channel in general. The world's a better place for it!

This video is unbelievably great and I'm glad that a lot of the concepts I've come across on my own are covered extensively; I really hope this video explodes so that more people can see this and understand these ideas, or at least put words to something they may already know. The shed is absolutely dangerous for your mental AND physical health if you go into it with a mindset that isn't improving/learning; if you go in expecting to match something exactly, you'll end up destroying yourself on the way there. I started playing piano in May of 2022 when I was 19, I had absolutely no musical experience prior (even throughout High School), so I was going in completely blind. I started by getting to know my chosen instrument: playing random chords, trying stuff like full chord shapes in both hands, different rhythms/styles, anything that I could to get an intuitive sense of the keyboard itself. Then in late 2022 I came across a KZfaqr "Devin Lawrence", who has top down videos of the piano parts of songs, a lot of those being from my favorite band: "The Beach Boys". I started with "California Girls", then "Wouldn't It Be Nice", then "God Only Knows"; each ramped up in difficulty and introduced me to different ideas and ways of playing. In between those I would compose songs, introducing things I had picked up from the pieces I was learning and attempting to master, and sometimes those compositions were more ambitious or difficult than the pieces I was currently learning. I couldn't possibly express how much he accelerated my learning process because of the content he made available for FREE. I was doing it out of the joy for the instrument and out of the joy for learning. I was most definitely in the shed, with nobody I could share my journey with or let personally influence my own. Was I hard on myself at times? Absolutely, extremely hard, and sometimes that's ok as long as you are able to temper that and come back when you may be able to do better; but, it's when you prolong that hardship that it becomes damaging. It's just like a muscle, working it and getting it sore is ok - that's growth - but overworking it to the point you stretch something too far is not. I then got into Bass guitar to ease my transition into Guitar, and I did the same process as I did with piano. I learned the walking line from "Surfin' Safari" by The Beach Boys which was simple, then I learned the more complex lead line from "Dance, Dance, Dance" which was a great fast line to improve my hand movement. I then learned "Good Vibrations" which was a great introduction to Jazz bass lines and had me doing large octave jumps and large hand movements. But more important than that, was improvisation and being able to adapt to what you're hearing; and what Chad had to say was exactly spot on. If you play along to your favorite songs, and try to add to them or improvise with them, you are already improving. Then when you start going outside of what you typically listen to, and try to play along with different genres, that's where you really start to hone your specific craft; that specifically, helped me a lot in understanding where I should be going to and predicting the next set of notes. Just like anything, if you don't go in with love, it'll break you down because you're trying to reach something out of ingenuity. But, if you go into the shed out of the love of what you're doing and with the mindset of improvement, you'll come out significantly sharper than you did going in.

Really encouraging video. You seem like a genuine dude, and a caring one. 🙏🏻 Thank you for taking the time to make this

THIS IS THE GREATEST DOSE OF WISDOM IVE SEEN/HEARD IN YEARS !!! Thank you bass brother !

Thank you for making this video!!! Even though I’ve been playing for a long time already it’s always nice to hear how someone else’s experience compares to your own and I wish I would have seen this video a lot sooner it would have saved me a lot of headaches

Good stuff, Philip!! You and your friends all contributed great advice on self care & the shed!

Thanks for this uplifting upload. I’ve been studying music since I was 3 yrs old. I will be 49 in a few days time. I have never wanted a formal education in music, having chosen the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle afforded by an education in pure mathematics, but for the past 46 years it has been like an oasis of calm, running in the background all day, every day. Forever the padawan, never the master. Stellar content, good sir. 🫡

Some seriously valuable reminders from career musicians summed up in a digestible video. Definitely saving this for subsequent watches when I need some advice. It’s so insanely easy to fall into the comparison and chops trap… but obvious that the main enjoyment comes from following your preferences and connecting with the instrument on an individual level! Thank you!!

Wow I really needed this. Thank you so so so much for posting and talking about this. I feel super inspired, and as a fellow bassist I’m stoked to check out your other videos! Much love!!

Man, you have such a wonderful group of friends, their words are so so inspiring. It resonates with a thing my father said to me: A few years ago, I was so upset about my playing that my father saw that I was truly frustrated; I told him that I wasn't getting any better and he said "so? You have your whole life to practice and try new things and try to get better. Then, why hurry?". It also reminds me to some concepts of zen buddhism (well, Suzuki's concept of zen), including the idea of developing a technique (could it be in some kind of art or not) not just to dominate a thing, not to impose your force or your will, but to clear the mind and get a better undestanding of the world that surrounds us. The technique as a medium of being in the world. Thanks!

Outstanding video. I appreciate the calm and slow vibe which contrasts much of the information overload videos we're bombarded with.

That was awesome ... again. Advice like this is golden for all of us. So glad you put this one out.

Thank you for this! I always appreciate when great musicians share this kind of advice.

Great video! Absolutely love this

What a brilliant video man, love this so much! Thanks for making it!

GREAT stuff. I’ll be sharing this with my students and colleagues. Much obliged for the checkup from the neck up.

My first listen to you. This is awesome!!! Please offer more coaching like this. I've only played music for over 50 years ;) and you're saying things I greatly find beneficial and wish I'd heard long ago. I'll pass it along to others.

Justin & Colin really hit the nail with our relationship with music and our chosen instrument(s), and selves.

Thanks for the video!! Needed this!

This video hits hard especially since I just came back from a 3 year hiatus from my trombone. I had lost the passion that made music fun for me near the end of my last gig 3 years ago. I didn't really have any will or want to express myself with music anymore so I took a break. In those three years I've done a lot of growing, but also felt shame that I hadn't picked up my trombone in so long. I felt as though I was doing myself, and by extension, my community and fellow musicians a disservice by not playing. But what you quoted really helped me, that we shouldn't feel bad or ashamed to want to take a break. It's our journey and we should take it at our own pace. I found a new vigor when I returned to it and am even more inspired than ever. Sometimes you just need a break to realize how important it really is and to give yourself room to grow in other aspects of your life. The wisdom you gained will translate through your musical expression.

Very glad you brought up injury because that's the easy one to overlook. I was victim to this while just grinding super fast 16th notes and ended up tweaking my hand and it started swelling. After some doctors visits that sent me to PT I'm all good now but it definitely changed my perspective on music a lot. It also taught me not to break my body just so I can attempt to sound like Joe Dart 🙃. You live and you learn and now I'm really leaning into my own style instead. I feel like that's healthier for my hands lol. Thanks for sharing Philip.

I thought I clicked on: "the dangers of Shred"... oh well great video tho🤘

Great stuff! You and your friends are wise! Allow me to add: Get a metronome. Use it regularly, but not too long. Use it to push your tempos on stuff, and also to slow down tempos but keep them rock steady. Being able to keep strict tempo at any tempo is a great skill to have. You can always throw in all the rubato and accelerando you want when you switch it off. And remember that music is part of your birthright as a human being. We all get to make music in whatever way we can. Some of us just get more obsessive about it.

Some absolute gold in here - great video! I'm nearly 40, so I'm pretty far along in my journey, but so much of this advice would have been incredibly helpful to have heard as a developing player. I was a bit of a late bloomer and like you, I took a bit of time to pick up on certain concepts. For years, I would go to a gig and feel like I absolutely got my ass kicked by the musicians I was sharing the stage with. I would really beat myself up over it, but after a while I started thinking "yeah, maybe you weren't the best player on the stage, but they keep calling you to come back". I've learned that I will never have the chops of a lot of my favorite players but I have my own thing that I bring to the table, and there are always going to be people that appreciate "my thing".

Good man, good vibe and great video.

Great video man! Thanks for sharing

this was an incredible video from the production of it to the knowledge shared.

That was a really warm, compassionate video. Damn! Have legit been thinking about quitting an instrument I’ve been playing for a long time. This, along with some advice from good friends has inspired me to try again. Much love!

Bro why does this make me wanna cry Hearing a lot of this reminds of the reason I actually bought and picked up any instrument and it was at first out of curiosity and out of eagerness, but now I think for me it's a lot more about love and the passion of every note of every chord.

I love this video I subbed right now please keep making videos like these! Thank you and your buddys

This is a great video 🤙 thanks for sharing your insight

Great video brother. Everything was very well said

This is a beautiful and critical message for all musicians. Wonderful presentation too. Insta-subbed! Thank you for sharing with us.

Sometimes I play every day or I can go weeks or longer without playing whenever the mood strikes me

Very inspiring video, I really needed this

Phenomenal video, thank you so much for sharing!

Thanks, Philip! Super inspiring!

Wise and needed words in these times. Thanks for your inspiration and passion.

Great advise thanks for sharing, love your channel

Excellent video, Philip, and your contributors are impressively perceptive and eloquent - piles of wisdom in here from all of you. To me, this has been a good reminder that the philosophy of practice is just as important as the science of practice.

the timing of this video is insane! thank you!

Loved this video! It really spoke to me, and how I’ve been feeling these past few months. Was so upset that I haven’t written anything in months, but I realized that I haven’t taken the time to even experiment. And I was so busy comparing myself to my influences than actually taking the steps to just play and write.

Great video, I really appreciated this

Absolutely brilliant! Thank you for sharing this amazing wisdom.

Man this is exactly what I needed to hear, I've been struggling with an RSI I've developed from guitar and find it really hard to just put the instrument down. Thank you for this extra push to look after myself!

I really appreciate your takes on a life in music. Thanks, Philip.

Love the message! Cheers from LA

actually incredibly inspiring, thank you for making this

Wow! "This is your journey and your music, and you'll be doing the world a service by being sincere with it," --Justin Powell I must frame that and hang it on the wall of my shed! Thank you for posting this! Great vid!

Wow great video. So close to the bone in regards to honesty. This video is necessary, man.

What a powerful video! I’m new to playing music, I’ve only been playing bass since December. My youngest son (already an adult) is even newer to guitar, he’s been playing about a month. This video is so important I shared it with him and when I see him again this weekend, we will discuss it. Thank you for sharing!

Man great video!! Really encouraging. Makes me wanna give you a hug man…not in any sort of weird way but In solid “thank you I needed that” sort of way! 👊

It’s all about learning how to express something to the people listening or to yourself. It’s not about intense, skill, speed, and pyrotechnics. It seems like an easy thing to understand but it’s hard to really get a handle on performing properly which only comes from performing a lot and being honest with yourself.

These are the types of videos that need a lot of views. Well done!!

Thank you for this video. This topic has been on my mind a lot because I have so many aspirations, and also two children.

Man, that comment from your friend Colin. That’s is so accurate and inspiring. I’m currently shedding, trying to unlearn years of bad technique while also learning new repertoire. At times it feels something approaching self harm. The focus of playing, even while practicing, is so simple yet so vital. Also the thought that your expression might be a source of joy for people? It’s all the validation I need. A happy accident coming upon your video! Thanks a million, as we say in Ireland!

Thanks Dude! I play some but mostly working on my self right now. I find it amazing that the better I feel the more I want to play and the more creative I am. Thank you for posting your videos!!

Thank you for this, Phil. 😊

Great message and perspective.

great video!!

Dude this was phenomenal, thank you

Thank you for making this video

Needed this video thank you .

This was the best advice I’ve ever gotten especially the part about the shed and compression as a self taught guitarist for 3-5 years I’ve been told I’m really good. But I talk to other kids a bit younger than me on instagram…….. blah blah the point is I love this video and it added a lot more of motivation, thank you

Good reminders of perspective👍

Great advice, thank you

Phenomenal video, I wish I saw this when I was a music student!

Great video, important

I love this concept and I had no idea that there was a word for it.

man, thanks a lot for this, I needed to hear so much of it - I think Justin especially had some real wisdom there, like damn

Great video !!

Great video. I get so overwhelmed with what and how to practice. My flat mate is so good and I feel pointless but these words helped. Appreciate the effort bro

Luh you brah. This is a wonderful message :)

Very touching, these advices lift my heart straight up to heaven, so much truth and experience from good musicians and good humans 😊 Thanks to you and your friends, and yes, music is a language and one of the most awesome experiences anyone can make, so, like Chad said in his advice, isolation is imho also a danger of shedding, talk with other musicians and you'll become more than the sum of every person involved and every listeners. Thanks 😊

Great subject and presentation

i needed this!

Thank you so much for this video its really impacted and inspired me

in the woods, straight shedding it, and by it, let’s just say my former non-dedicated, non-practiced, non-elite musician self

Man I needed to hear this thank u

Thank you for the video, this is very inspiring! I've been playing for almost a decade at this point but have kinda lost my focus when it comes to practicing, and while I still have fun playing with friends I don't feel like I'm at the skill level I want to be at quite yet. I'm going to uni this year and they have a very competitive jazz band, so I likely won't make it in this year. But now I'm motivated, and I'll be entering the shed for the next couple years. I'll make sure to use all these great insights you've given us to help me in the shed, and hopefully in a couple years I'll have achieved my goals and have come out as a better musician.

love this!

At this point, I do believe in balancing comparison with others and not getting sucked into just "copying" something/someone. Thank you for this! I'm at the point of copying something and not being my true self in shed.

Amazing advices, thanks for sharing. Definitely felt the burn out previously, it’s a marathon not a sprint!

Cool stuff man

Me learning that I'm not a "bassist" or a "guitarist" was the best realization ever for me. I realized I'm a musician and songwriter, not an instrumentlist. I have this whole new love of music and it's like a world of possibilities now. I've been in the woodshed for a while now with the violin, and I'm really getting results now