Parents(oh those parents!)

Some guys here like Chris(BlackHoleSun), MightyDave, this guy JeremyLanford, AfroRaven and so many others impress me with their knowledge about guitar and music in general. Of course, if you work hard at that, you'll get to that part, too, but anyways, it's impressing. Wish I knew all those things, so I could just get rid of my parents that are telling me all the time: Ohhh, leave that guitar, I'm gonna have to sell it or something if you continue like this. You have to study son.
I mean, I just can't stand that. Why is the guitar so unwanted to all the parents. And I don't even have an electric guitar to make them nervous with the noise, it's just a classical guitar.
I wondered if you had the same problem, so please post.

Oh yeah. I think everyone gets that every now and then. I think you've just got to find a medium between playing all the time, and working/studying all the time. At the end of the day your parents only say things like that because they want the best for you. For me, and for a lot of people, the guitar is a hobby rather than a career choice. I'm not gonna start preaching cos I don't like doing school work no more than anyone else, but it's really important to do your best at school. Even for people who want to be a professional guitarist, it's important to get decent grades, just as a back-up incase your career to the main stage at the Download Festival doesn't quite take off lol.

Cheers for the kudos! A lot of people say that theory is stupid because it limits you to what you can play, which is wrong because nothing can force you to play something you don't want to. I think the best place to start learning about theory is the notes in the major scale, and how they relate to chords. Once you've got that, then learn about what notes are in what chords, in terms of intervals, for example a minor 9th chord (m9) is 1, b3, 5, b7, 9. Someone posted a link to a website a few weeks ago that says all about that, and you'll probably find it helpful. Then you can move on to various scales and modes.

You can find loads of helpful websites to read about theory and if you have any questions then this is the best place to get them answered!

umm my parents arent really ticked off when i play the guitar.. they only hate me when i keep on buying stuff for my gear.. which i cant really help (stupid GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome!) but yeah.. you really have to balance it out.. IMHO school should always comes first cuz if you get a degree, in a long run you'll benefit from it.. am not saying that you cant do that with music and all but with the way how the industry is going.. its really hard to stick with.

in regards with the theory, i think its really a very good foundation if you know the theories well.. sadly, i dont and i still have a lot to learn.. hopefully by this summer i can take some music lessons to figure out what i've been doing wrong in playing and what i need to learn to be a better musician. =)

o yeah.. can anybody got a link to any site that discuss the cricle of fifths? i wanted to know how to create a progression using that pie chart.

Yeah Mici, like blackholesun said, thanks muchly for saying that. All us musicians so rarely get appreciated for the things we know and can do (musically) better than others so it's a real buzz to hear a fellow musician pay a compliment.
I'm 17, and studying my first year of A-Levels at college. Music is my life. When I am on a free period or ANY spare time I have in college, it is spent doing something music related, be it reading up theory on the internet, attempting to sight-sing (or sight-hum) music off the shelves in the library, or learning modes/chords in different keys off by heart. When I get back home from college, I pick up my guitar and start playing, usually a song I am currently learning or trying to apply a piece of theory I learned today. Or, at least, that's how it used to be.
After a while, my grades in other subjects started to suffer. My teachers couldn't work it out, I'm not lazy, unmotivated or stupid (without trying to sound arrogant). Of course, the parents knew exactly what the problem was. They didn't threaten to take my guitar away, cancel music lessons or pull me off my college music course. They sat down and asked me 'so, if for whatever reason your music career doesn't work out, what will have to prove you can do something else?' And it sounds crazy, but it was only then that I realised 'SHIIIIIIIIIITTT!!! I'LL BE SCREWED'
So now, I still try to maintain a high level of musical study, it is still the subject I spend most time on, but at the same time I mix in a good amount for my other subjects when needed. It has been a real challenge (really) to get the balance right, because it's so easy to let the time slip away doing something you love rather than you need to. My parents understand that music is my life, which is why they understand that in order to for me to survive it must be ever-present. But, like Chris said, they care that if it all goes tits up, my other subjects will be there to fall back on.
So after that incredibly, incredibly long sob story, YES MICI!!! Everyone's parents do that from time to time, you're not on your own at all...

Afro

Response to zmazz...you can't really use the circle of 5ths (to my knowledge anyway) to write chord progressions. It simply exists to show the relation of one key to another. You can, however, use it to find a suitable key change in a song, because it shows the keys that are more closely and distantly linked to each other, and therefore work out which modulation would sound best.

Afro

lol i've been mentioned here:D
not played much guitar lately :S
what do you guys do when you don't feel like playing guitar , just leave it or force yourself to do so?

and afro_raven keep up the good work with your music and here on the forum

Education first! (do I sound like your mama? ;) Of course it's easy to say so, as I already have my diploma. :D But still, if i had no education, I'd have smaller salary and maybe I wasn't able to afford a guitar (as i wrote in my profile, this is the reason i quit playing violin). The big life will come and your parents will not pay your bills forever.

Do not think of school as an obstacle to your carrier, but as one of the steps you have to take to reach your target.

Well yeah, you're all right. I mean just, it's like everything's beeing slamed on my face now. It's just(don't read it if you don't want to, I know I sound like those people in talk shows)I always had good grades and so, always was the best in my class...bla, bla, bla...and just now I've come to realise that, maybe it's not what I wanna do, it's like I always was forced to study, and just in the past four months my grades've been sinking dooown, like it's someone else's grades. My friends always made jokes about me, called me the school maniac and so, and I always said "oh you just sit and wait, you'll be hearing about me soon".
But yeah, even it's not what you were dreamin for, your good grades can at least be your plan B, so my teachers and my parents win again.
Thank you all guys, it's great seeing that's someone's actually listening to you. You're great, all of you!

my parents enjoy when i play. they even ask me sometimes when i dont want to. but i always do that for them. my dad loves to hear me play the black dog solo (led zeppelin) and my mom loves to hear me play crazy train with the solo. they sing along sometimes. i do agree that music theory is the way to go.

i kinda do. I like playing my acoustic and i love playing it loud, but my mom is always in the other room sleeping, she only sleeps when i love to play the guitar..........

yeah... parents i hate i am only able to use my amp on the band practice, and since all my money they have it, i have only been able to buy cheap straps (i guess i cant have GAS) and theyll just wont give me my money back.
cptnshredemfrets, your parents are great: "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade"
MICI: also my parents wont stop threatening my guitar, but they have never asked me about what will i do with bad grades in life. what do most of you call a decent grade, i get: 8, 7, (i think equivalent 2 C´s or D´s)?

Hehe sometimes on Sundays my mom will be like CAN YOU PLEASE?! But other than that shes pretty cool about it. I've learned some stupid love songs to keep her happy when she wants me to play something for her.

As for your schooling, I know its shit man but we gotta do it :(.

30 and married and my wife still says please put that guitar down. I've found that if I mute the TV during commercials and give the remote to her when I start playing she will let me play through all the commercial breaks. It doesn't sound like all that much but it adds up and keeps everyone happy.

Also when I was first learning my family got sick of the same chords over and over again but it was what I knew so I played.

My dad doesent understand my music but he does get frustrated when the amp volume is low.Hes like "I can't hear crap, let me hear it!" I live in an apartment so I can't play really loud but once in a while i get inspired and get the walls trembling. YEEEAH!

hi well my parents ,
Are the worst kind they hate all music and they want me to play the recorder. **** that **** man i hate that kind of melloe music PUMP UP THE DISTORTION

well atleast my mom supports me, my dad don't really want me to continue playing my guitar just because an electric guitar cost so much here in the phils...i hate it when they say "study your lesson first before playing your guitar, it won't get you anywhere" thats why if I have a family of my own i'll encourage my children in anything they want be it music or art or any fucking thing they like....

i agree to what mici said about Chris(BlackHoleSun), MightyDave, this guy JeremyLanford and AfroRaven, they amaze me about the knowledge they have about music...hope i get to meet them...hehehe

My sister is the worst.... if im about to play guitar she will start studyin in the next room (which isint even hers its my dads)! so i go in the garden.... she says shes gotta draw some trees for art !!...... then i go in the kitchen she starts makin lunch,,, were ever i go she follows me!!!

any ideas of wot i can do to er????? cool pranks????

@bing : go play @ the toilet , she won't follow you there:)

LOL! Good Idea, but I don't think the accoustic in the bathroom is OK :D

HAHA great idea mighydave but my mum would be abit freaked out if i started to take my guitar into the loo hehe :D

Lewis, what are you doing to your guitar in there?!?!

Lewis , everything okay there? some strange noise coming out of the toilet:D

:D that would be a laugh!!!!!!

:D

My parents support me on my guitar playing. I have to learn 25 songs(not chords)by heart and then they will buy me a new guitar.

How many guitars did you say you had?!