I'm 59 and played since age 15. I have a song in a movie, some radio play in on band, and I played with some great musicians (e.g. Dan W. last drummer Frampton toured with last 8 years) etc. WHILE all that was fun I learned years ago that having 5 guitars near my office desk gave me the ability to escape for a few minutes and de-stress in life. Non musicians maybe play a video game but playing guitar (or other instrument) is the greatest gift you can give yourself. It is a gift that keeps giving.

Man the " we bend steel so others may process emotions" needs to be on a t shirt, Chapman guitars shirt, something. Epic. Great exploration of this.

I think social media like yt plays into why some people stop playing. You see people who are ridiculously talented. It makes some people just quit, thinking they will never achieve those levels of skill. Play what you can and have fun with it. I live in a small, west Texas city, with a totally nonexistent music scene and not many other musicians to jam with, so I do covers on yt. My channel is tiny and doesn't receive very much traffic, but I have a lot of fun learning new songs and posting them and hopefully helping another bassist out there. Am I a great musician, not by a long shot, but I do what I can and I enjoy doing it. Now grab your instrument and have fun!

It’s so fucking awesome to see people already connecting and leaving their details in this comment section - love you guys, may this lead to great things :-)

"We bend steel so that others may process emotions." That's deep!

COVID killed it for me - changed country, changed job, left all my gear behind in storage - stopped playing, stopped putting up YT vids... took me almost 3 years to "wake up", get some gear to play with and get my fingers working again.... To all my fellow players, please don't let your talent go to waste... I've taken pleasure from playing the old stuff I learned as kid again!

I needed this. Thank you again!

Been playing guitar on and off since my late 40's. Now mid 60's. We now have a little bunch of friends called a band and this year we started doing gigs at old people's homes. It is brilliant having an audience that actually sits and watches you. We mainly do country pop sort of music and it really makes my heart swell looking into the crowd and seeing the oldies tapping along, singing along, or holding hands with a little tear in their eye remembering back when. Our drummer comes and goes, so I often have to use a drum peddle, which is interesting.

I know this is a guitar channel but Rob you talking about Elden Ring put a smile on my face.

I love this video Rob. Thank you.

I was like this on Friday….thought sod it…..leave my iPad and iPhone alone…..I picked up my guitar, it was my American Strats turn, quick tune up….then it was Spotify on…..my go to for sheer joy, I play along with Slade in Flame soundtrack, followed by some Johnny Hates Jazz, moving over to Never Say Die album by Sabbath and then a nice medley of Hawkwind ….Warrior on the Edge of Time…..2 hours….whoosh, just lost myself in the music, jammed along, had fun, made mistakes, had success…..and just thought afterwards……that was effing great….must do this again…..and I will…..tomorrow……cheers Rob…..inspiring as ever….

Thanks Rob, been struggling with my 'why' for quite some time. Super helpful.

Needed it! Thanks man!

Fantastic video. Appreciate all of the cool ideas to reinspire us to play.

Wonderful video idea! Thank you Rob!

Thank you Rob! I needed this exact advise at exactly this time!

I needed this. THANK YOU!!!

Love you Rob, you are a true inspiration for a lot of us. Please keep up with this great pieces of advice. They are huge for some of us struggling to get motivation to pick up the guitar, play more often and learn more stuff every day.

What a great video, Rob. Me and my axe-wielding mates have all had this conversation over the last few years. All die hard guitarists of 20+ years who found ourselves lacking motivation at some point or another. If you truly love the instrument, or any passion for that matter, it WILL return. With that in mind, I’m based in Felixstowe, Suffolk and looking for a band to join/start. Alternatively, I play with a couple of old high school mates in Colchester every couple of months and need a bass player to join us!

Loads of great advice - cheers Rob !

Exactly what I needed. Thanks, Rob!

Thank you! Very inspiring! I needed this

This is my favourite year of your channel so far Rob. Your attitude, your humour, your playing, your good vibes. You’re killing it right now mate, great work. Video made me smile after a long day, much appreciated 😊

Love the video great idea rob 😀

Great video! I stopped playing about 2 years ago, I just lost the drive and motivation to pick up my Strat and Les Paul(an Epiphone but still an LP) I just lost interest and it wasn't fun anymore to just crank up the amp and just jam a bit o' ACDC or anything simple. My gear is just sitting in the corner gathering dust bunnies. Hearing that you went thru the same kind of thing gives me the kick in the old rumpus and motivation I need to start playing again. Thanks again for the great video Roberto.

I really needed this video and it popped up at the perfect time. I've been playing guitar for over half of my life, but I've not had the motivation to play at all until recently. I found the spark again and this video was my sign that I'm back on the right track... no pun intended! Thanks Chappers!

Thanks bro I needed to hear this. Salud!

Just what I needed. Thanks Chapers! 🤘

Love it Rob

Omg what an inspiring video, it popped up for me at the best possible time! Glad I found your channel :)

Thanks for this Rob 😘

Great tips!

Great video, genuinely so awesome

Thx Chappers I needed this today!

This video made me feel amazing. Thanks.

You are so right. I say I haven't got time to play due to work and family commitments but do all the things you said at the start - on my phone, netflix etc. I have bought new gear and its just gathered dust. This video has made me go back to lots of unfinished recordings. Great video

Everything you said Rob was spot on. I'm 56 and consider myself an intermediate player and lately a shocking procrastinator. My problem is getting new gear like the BOSS Katana MK II Head I bought during lockdown. Great unit, but I wasted so much time setting it up I wasn’t getting much play time. I’ve even had 2 of my guitars signed by Steve Vai & George Lynch. (Still can’t play like them) In the end I went back to basics and bought a 3 channel HK TM40 Deluxe and use a POD HD500 to control it with a couple of effects. Happy Days. Thanks for the backing track ideas. Keep up the good work. Cheers

If you are struggling with motivation just set a goal to play for 10 min per day and have a goal for that time, whether it be working on speed, improvising over a jam track, working on a lick/riff/song you started writing, etc. 10 minutes tricks your brain into thinking this is easy, I can easily set aside 10 min per day, very attainable, and then often you'll find you end up playing longer when you get into the groove. And if you decide, meh 10 min was enough for today, you met your goal, feel better about yourself, and can put it down and wait for tomorrow when perhaps more inspiration or desire hits. It's also been scientifically proven that consistency trumps long and infrequent jam/practice sessions anyway for growth and your mind will remember more. Thanks Rob!

Thank you Rob! I think you just got me inspired. I have a room full of guitars that I stpped playing many months ago due to getting sidetracked by electronic music. This video is a godsend. Subscribed!

I needed this, Thanks man

Thanks rob, great bits of advice for us mere mortals 👍👍

Almost every night I fall asleep visualising the fret board… hearing the notes and finding new patterns and the next day I try to remember these new paths I came up with. It’s a super sick way to stay creative and motivated. Also take your guitar outside, play to backing tracks through a lil spark amp while sitting under a tree or at the beach etc. you’ll play for hours and feel awesome at the end of it!

Thank you, very inspirational! :)

Great video! It’s easy to get in a rut and stop being inspired. These are great tips!

Totally been there. Love the Monkey Shoulder sitting in the background. Good stuff!

What a great message Rob! I used to be a pro guitarist and left it behind over 20 years ago. These days I pick the thing up, it’s dusty and I am a shadow of my former self. What you’ve said here isn inspiration in itself. It was playtime for me as a kid and I need to make it playtime again. Thanks Rob!

Really a wonderful video, Rob ❤

Didn't realize you had given up Rob but glad you are doing it again - my wife and I love your playing.

this has got to be one of your better videos keep up the good work

thanks for this, I need to get back to playing again

Thanks for this Rob, top man. It’s 2am here at the moment but tomorrow I’m going to crack open a guitar case, restring, tune up & see what happens. Much love 👍🏼

Good advice!

Thanks for this Rob...

I'm an old bloke guitar player looking to form a geezer blues band in West Michigan. I need to throw some water in my face and get movin'.

After playing for nearly 30 years I've found its good to take a break for a bit. When I come back to it I feel refreshed and excited again. It will come back around when your ready.

Nice one mr chapman, I stopped even though the band do gigs…..so that’s really the only time I play. This is exactly what I do, can’t get focused . Due to being impaired not playing has balled me up.!

Amazing advice! I’ve been fortunate not to get stuck in a major rut. I may have a day here and there where I’m not feeling it, but it’s usually about something else in my life and not really the guitar itself. I have a guitar routine that I follow each night and/or morning. I aim to do some warmups, learn something new or practice something I started, and then I always spend ample time jamming along with songs and enjoying the instrument without any specific goals. It’s a routine for me. The only other reason I might not play other than a very tough day (which I rarely use an a reason not to play because playing is a great fix for a tough time) is because I’m disabled/ill and having a rough day with my symptoms. I don’t even use being tired as an excuse because I’m always exhausted in reality, and I’d never play, lol. I generally use a variety of guitar education apps so I have a curriculum of sorts (ie: Gibson, Yousician, Justin Guitar, Ultimate Guitar, etc.), but I also keep things fresh by diving deeper into specific skills by finding KZfaq videos that contribute. Other times, I observe pros playing my favorite songs to see if I can try to copy what they’re doing. There are all kinds of things to explore whether you’re actively playing or not - but the more you play, the better you will become. Guitar proficiency requires muscle memory like athletes require to play spots. Just playing even 10-15 minute a day will help a great deal. And you’ll often end up playing longer because you’re having fun. Last week, I got a D’addario capo for $8 bucks that simulates Drop D tuning in E standard - in the blink of an eye, I was having fun trying chords shapes and creating lush sounding music. And then I flipped the capo and clamped it upside down on the treble strings, and again, it created a really pretty voicing on my guitar in a split second. Just $8 bucks gave me something new and interesting to explore. I love alternate and open tunings, but it takes a little time to dial them in and it’s annoying to always have to switch with a single guitar - so this capo helped me create a new voicing in a moment. I also learned there are all kinds of capos out there - the Spider capo looks like it could be a ton of fun. You have some really nice suggestions to try to get people to enjoy their guitar and not see it as a chore or feel like they’re not skilled enough to play. I may try some of your ideas as well. I want to improve my soloing skills, and I may just go use your Monkey Lord tracks for that purpose. Never type doing that! Thanks, Rob!

nothing greater than making connections, nice job Rob!

Thank you man!

I can't agree more. On point! Set goals! My ultimate goal is to earn back every cent I spent starting guitar (again in 2019). Recently, my Band and I started to be a business. I'm now almost half way to my goal. Others will follow...

This is your best upload Rob, your a top Lad👍

Great video which applies to our life in general. I no longer play the guitar because I've moved on to learning about other stuff; and this works fine in my life.

Dear Rob, I saw you paying a visit to Marshall with red cheeks. Or in the guitar shop in Leeds (I can't remember exactly) when you met the old man with his old guitar. That inspired me so much that I started playing the guitar again. I tried to get my skills back for over 6 years. Our 3-man band stopped in 1982. For professional reasons. Then I started making music again over the internet with my old bandmates. It doesn't work. Nothing can simulate the flapping of jeans in front of the amplifier. I carried on and found a following. But it wasn't satisfying for me. Because there was no pressure. I then stopped making music again. That was 15 years ago. At 70, I don't have the strength or motivation to learn the skills again to be as good as I used to be. I love my guitars. My advice is: never stop playing. You'll forget how to play faster than you know it.

I call it guitar depression and yes, I ask all the same questions. This is my second one in about 20 years. First one happened when my group of friends "band" couldn't get together any more. Second one someone close got sick and playing guitar in the house just felt selfish. Then I forget all my songs and wondered why I'm wasting time re learning them. I recently said F it and just started to learn new songs.

Selling my old acoustic and buying a new Enya carbon fibre smart guitar was enough to get me rocking again, I just love it.

New Zealand here. I've been creating stuff for years but the weakest link is my singing. All sorts of styles and subjects etc. songs. Lyrics written but needs *that* voice to give them the final pizazz.

I love that you mentioned backing tracks. I STILL kick around a fender gdec 30, JUST for the backing tracks. I play over those tracks with my tune amp and pedals. Fun way to chill anytime

Thanks for this video Rob, I definitely suffer with being overwhelmed by guitar and what to do etc etc, just hearing someone say take it piece by piece is sage like advice for me.

Rob, i gotta say,As well as this being a on motivation, to bang your youtube & spotify on it too,is a class act tbf. Ur a cracking salesman bro.👏👏Good info btw.

ive actually been playing alot lately. im not great but ive definitely felt improvement over time and i think thats what motivates me to keep going.

Good vibes man.

Thank you 🙏 Mr. Champman!!!!!🙏❤️🙌👊🤟

"We rock so that others may roll" - Brilliant! 😄 The point of your video here reminds me that I need to get back to the way I used to play: to the radio, to the stereo, or to whatever was on MTV (when the "M" stood for Music).

Following you since 2008 Love this!

keep on rocking dear bro.!!!!

Now I feel truly motivated. I guess I'd better buy a guitar, pedal and amp.

It's a minset you arE helping to creat one for me, I have had guitars for 47 years and had 3 teachers as a kid who all gave up on me, as a I was sick of classical spanish guitar or being classically trained, I WANTED ROCK... Queen, Iron Maidaen, Dire Straits, ZZ Top etc.. Now I'm getting right into it, I know very well the stages you so accuraetly elude to and epithise with you completely. I really hope you get something going on here, as you are clearly a musician of a high calibre, to change the shite that has been in the the charts if they still exist for years!!! GOOD ON YA MATE, YOUR CHANGING YOUR OWN MUSICAL DIRECTION, VIA WISDOM!!! I've just started putting my generations of 'Listening skills' together with some playing experience to hopefully bring out somthing more meaningful, even like a modern ELO, songs with multiple layers, story-lines, thought provoking, poetry and shear modern clarity that was seen as fresh back then inthe 60's-mid ninties when it all went pear shaped ...baby baby, baby yaeah (INNIT) as it is now to hear those new tones we can now achieve. By ther way, I have always been a house DJ too in clubs, so zero neg comments about being an old man, MODERN 'CHART' MUSC IS SHIIIIIIITE! Its mostly shite because the kids who buy music to chart the bands, just copy the hell out of eachother, no individuals alowed in modern society, so the shite will flow, and the good will never grow.

great advice rob because of the video i have subscribed cheers😃

I've been playing with backing track the past 3-4 days now, I don't know much about the scales much yet, only a few to get by and been having a real blast!

Hey Rob it’s Rob from the US. You don’t know me nor ever have you ever heard of me unless you’ve been peeking in the window of my home office to hear me failing miserably at the guitar for 20 + years. Anyways, been watching you on KZfaq for years. You’re really awesome! Great video; one of the best I’ve ever seen. I really appreciate you. The most important thing that guitar does for me is give me hope. Hope that someday I will play something beautiful that will touch someone and that it will connect with them and give them a sense of peace - even if it’s only for a few moments. And it will by okay that the person doesn’t knows my name. Love to all of you!

Great video.! Self-taught guitarist her, around the NY State Capital Region. Always looking for fellow musicians to jam with and get inspired by. Big thumbs up.!

Excellent video, super inspiring! We all need a kick up the bottom sometimes to get better on the old GEETAR. Licks & lessons like the ones you have on your channel + something like Rockschool is awesome for having that TANGIBLE GOAL to reach in a structured way - it pushed me personally hard to succeed for Grade 5. It even gives UCAS points for University at the later grades. The leap into sweeping and 3 notes per string scales etc is a big jump beyond Grade 5. But hey - Grade 6 and beyond incoming. There's always a tonne to learn. Overwhelming even. Keep rockin' 🤘🎸

Thanks for this! I’ve got my last three gigs booked with the band… because it’s grown stale to me. Maybe this is what I need. Im giving up playing county fairs, some bigger shows with +/-1500 people, and even small venues with less than 50 people. I hate this feeling. Maybe your encouragement will turn me around.

We play due to a passion we have. We just need to find 2-3 people and to play with them. Playing in front of the computer or just for KZfaq sakes, is not the same. Sharing emotions, ideas and loud music makes you shake... Not only your trousers 😂 Music is a joy, not a competition!!

Very valid advice. And yes, the best advice is find a musician or two to jam with. Having been put on permanent disability by my day job, and now at the ripe young age of 61, the contents of my music room/man cave/home studio are probably worth more than my house, but I have been unable to find the motivation to play for about five years now. I have bought guitars and pedals which have yet to be played. I have put a guitar next to me on the couch, with a Yamaha THR on the coffee table. I have saved numerous KZfaq backing tracks. But I find myself watching KZfaq videos like this every day. I think I’m a hopeless case.

I get, and appreciate a lot of tbese points. Id also like to add that going to see live bands has the potential to inspire in ways you never thought possible. Go and listen to live music! Be it at pubs, festivals, arenas or stadiums. Go and watch (and feel) the power of live music!!!!!

Blues guitarist here- covid killed the band for a while- but now up and running again- you're a great inspiration to many Rob, you rock dude 😁😁

For me, it DEFINITELY has to do with the "Music" AND the "Statement". That's ALWAYS been "The Goal". The "constant' that has been pivotal to keeping me @ it is working out in the Studio with the Guitars and Effects, the E-Drum Kit, the Basses, the Board and Peripherals and, of course, the "Boomerang +" Phrase Sampler. If I can't be in a band @ a given time...I can BE the band! And "The Band" presses on to new and exciting challenges CONTINUALLY!

The best version of Rob so far 👏🏻

Great viv man, I checked CV out your Spotify channel, love the chromatic aberration , tried playing along and picking out notes 👍🙏

Drummer here… it’s harder than Rob makes it out to be. 😂 He is right about one thing though… drummers get shit done. Any success you ever achieve of the musical variety is likely the result of a drummer. You’re welcome. Also, I’m Jason from Detroit seeking either a drummer and bassist, OR a guitarist and a bassist who is into 90s punk rock or whatever the hell Jimmy Eat World is classified as. If you meet that description, reply here in the comments. I haven’t been able to rock out for like 20 years and I need that in my life.

I am Literally NOT playing as I had planned when I sat down just now. I was supposed to be looking for a backing track, but here I am. 🤷‍♂️😅

I really need some new strings but as my daughter is away for the weekend I might just get jamming. A backing track is always my go to! Gear that makes me excited: my only electric guitar, an original ML1 in natural finish. In fact Rob, the very guitar you handled in one of your videos where you popped in to Brighton Guitars!

I played for 30 years. I haven't played in months. I lost my best friend. He was my music buddy. We talked and shared music every day. All those bands you mentioned, that was us. He kept me wanting to play and learn new stuff. Then one day, he was gone. I've played for maybe a couple hours since then. I kinda feel like I don't have the music in me anymore.

This happened to me for about a year, I stopped playing and just couldn’t find motivation to do it. So I started programming drums instead. Now I am back to player guitar again regularly. Brilliant advice!

Been there, sold all my gear and got into different hobbies. Funny enough, it was a Chapman ML3 modern at an Atlanta Guitar center that got me back into playing during covid. I had to sell it but it gave me the motivation to start again, so thanks for making those guitars. Im located at the NC/TN/GA border in America and play everything from classic rock to newer stuff like polyphia (GOAT is a very fun song to play) and metal etc......

Been playing guitar for thirty plus years. I cant live without it! Like my personal zen. Mad, sad, or glad, my guitar is always a private oasis, personal time. Like meditation to me. I'll play as long as I'm able. Lovely advice by the way!

Great video Rob. I'm in a rut and I didn't know it. I also buy too much gear instead of playing. Used to be in a band and family etc put an end to all that. Love to make some noise again with people...Sheffield uk!

I'm 69, retired US Navy, THANK GOD I lived a major portion of my life with out "texts" and YT Shorts. Having 5 kids and being gone a lot might have been easier, but I set up a BBS in '90 on my hand built PC to keeps comms with the family when the kids were still young. I play a harmonica, a beat up old Canadian acoustic guitar, and have mostly stopped playing them as evidently; it irritated all of my 3 wives. Love your content Rob, you are a philosopher that plays guitar very well. Not a bad comedian either. Thanks!

Im a 60 year old muso who gets board shitless with playing lately ,I found this helpful Thanks Rob😁👍