'm not as snobby as others on here when it comes to instruments. If you can rap? GREAT if you can sing? GREAT if you can play an instruemnt but are a shitty singer? GREAT.

I don't believe you must play an instrument. To be considered a ''real musician'' cause singing is an instrument, RAP (Rhythm & Poetry) in itself is an instrument. As is sampling if done in a unique way.

But why the fuck pretend to play an instrument? Usher is the latest in this little craze. Usher was obviously pretending to play... and wasn't even hiding it. But that's not the worst... what's worse is when people attempt to play. But know they can't do shit..

I love Kid Cudi! i do... but what was the point? he barely plays shit here! what's even the point of posing with the guitar?


Lil Wayne.... do we have to remember this shit?


And Madonna has supposedly played guitar since the 80's. Yet her ''playing'' seems to just be looking pretty with the guitar.

Why play an instrument live when you know like 3 chords? it makes no sense to me.

[Edited 8/25/14 14:14pm]

[Edited 8/25/14 14:15pm]

Agreed.

What amount of chords known is alright to play infront of people.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

What amount of chords known is alright to play infront of people.

Well Usher can play none and Lil Wayne was just pressing his fingers down on 2 frets. He wasn't even doing a chord.

You don't have to be Eddie Van Halen or John Lee Hooker. But what's the point of playing live? if you playing 1 or 2 small chords has nothing to do with the song. In fact it could mess up the tempo and timing of the song too. At least know a few chord changes or something. That resembles playing instead of just fucking around on an instrument. They get away with it cause there celebrities. If regular people went on stage and played like that. They would be booed and laughed off stage.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

What amount of chords known is alright to play infront of people.

Funny. At least all the basic ones?

Really, you just need to know the individual notes the chords are made of, because you can always transpose the chords up and down by keeping the fingers pretty much in the same position and just move your entire hand. It's not magic.

Most of the chords on a guitar can be played by memorizing how to pick a relatively small number chords, like for example, F, Fm, A and Am. Whatever sounds like it would be in the right register for the song.

Gunsnhalen said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

What amount of chords known is alright to play infront of people.

Well Usher can play none and Lil Wayne was just pressing his fingers down on 2 frets. He wasn't even doing a chord.

You don't have to be Eddie Van Halen or John Lee Hooker. But what's the point of playing live? if you playing 1 or 2 small chords has nothing to do with the song. In fact it could mess up the tempo and timing of the song too. At least know a few chord changes or something. That resembles playing instead of just fucking around on an instrument. They get away with it cause there celebrities. If regular people went on stage and played like that. They would be booed and laughed off stage.

I burst out laughing when I saw Usher posing with that bass; it was hillarious. I personally don't see the point of it either, but I guess since Bruno Mars - considered one of the greater acts; plays various instrument - other acts want to show they play an instrument. Madonna and Justin Timberlake are others that love to pose with their instruments. I wouldn't mind these artists, actually taking the time to learn and play an instrument - but it looks very contrived. I could probably play a song or two in over 40 instruments, does it mean I know how to play those instruments? Nops.

I disagree.

Guitar is very easy, and kids can play. That means it is an easy instrument to pick up for people who already have mastered singing or rapping.

Don't have to tell you how many front men for rock bands also play guitar while singing.

I encourage everyone to pick up this very easy instrument.

John Parr pretended to play guitar for Man In Motion

And Lil Wayne just wanted to be cool like youuuuu

What I still don't understand is....air guitar contests????

Cinny said:

I disagree.

Guitar is very easy, and kids can play. That means it is an easy instrument to pick up for people who already have mastered singing or rapping.

Don't have to tell you how many front men for rock bands also play guitar while singing.

I encourage everyone to pick up this very easy instrument.

I didn't say people shouldn't play it but at least be able to play more than one chord. You can't tell me Lil Wayne, Usher, Kid cudi, or Madonna etc. Should be playing... they barely play anything and then put the guitar away. They're basically posing with it to look cool. I'm confused as to why you think i said people shouldn't play and sing? they should! but not if they are A. just mimicking playing and not really playing B. Don't know any basic chords and just fuck around. It makes no sense with the song either.

They probably want to show that they're good at something else... For example, Usher wanted people te be like "Wut usher plays bass?", even if he doesn't.. That will be stuck in people's head, and they will be saying everytime "oh usher plays bass too"... Just the image of an artist holding an instrument makes people think he DOES play it.

Gunsnhalen said:

Cinny said:

I disagree.

Guitar is very easy, and kids can play. That means it is an easy instrument to pick up for people who already have mastered singing or rapping.

Don't have to tell you how many front men for rock bands also play guitar while singing.

I encourage everyone to pick up this very easy instrument.

I didn't say people shouldn't play it but at least be able to play more than one chord. You can't tell me Lil Wayne, Usher, Kid cudi, or Madonna etc. Should be playing... they barely play anything and then put the guitar away. They're basically posing with it to look cool. I'm confused as to why you think i said people shouldn't play and sing? they should! but not if they are A. just mimicking playing and not really playing B. Don't know any basic chords and just fuck around. It makes no sense with the song either.

I am simply encouraging these people to pick up the instrument and continue to grow with it. For example, I remember D'Angelo kinda sucking at it at first, but I like him now.

And I think someone like Usher should keep getting used to performing with it. Hell, I think every polished singer should be adding SOMETHING extra to the sound, even if it's a damn tambourine!

I hope people DO think these artists play the guitar so it may inspire a generation to pick up instruments again.

'Cos guitars are cool and people who play guitar are cool. In fact, you don't even need to play them, just having one strapped to you is enough. They're the hot accessory that everybody wants to be seen with, kinda like cigarettes (image if someone had both a guitar and cigarettes, they would be, like, really, really cool.)

Cinny said:

Gunsnhalen said:

I didn't say people shouldn't play it but at least be able to play more than one chord. You can't tell me Lil Wayne, Usher, Kid cudi, or Madonna etc. Should be playing... they barely play anything and then put the guitar away. They're basically posing with it to look cool. I'm confused as to why you think i said people shouldn't play and sing? they should! but not if they are A. just mimicking playing and not really playing B. Don't know any basic chords and just fuck around. It makes no sense with the song either.

I am simply encouraging these people to pick up the instrument and continue to grow with it. For example, I remember D'Angelo kinda sucking at it at first, but I like him now.

And I think someone like Usher should keep getting used to performing with it. Hell, I think every polished singer should be adding SOMETHING extra to the sound, even if it's a damn tambourine!

I hope people DO think these artists play the guitar so it may inspire a generation to pick up instruments again.

That's an interesting way of looking at things. I hope these artists are making earnest strides at learning the instruments.

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

'Cos guitars are cool and people who play guitar are cool. In fact, you don't even need to play them, just having one strapped to you is enough. They're the hot accessory that everybody wants to be seen with, kinda like cigarettes (image if someone had both a guitar and cigarettes, they would be, like, really, really cool.)

Very true! Posers have always existed lol. It's cute but laughable... I never understood its purpose, but holding a guitar or bass does look much cooler than just standing there with a microphone, I guess. I hope this trend doesn't comeback, for yrs it seemed a lot of people were doing this. It'd be so awesome if someone would pose with a violin or a trumpet, but then with those instruments you can't really fake it that much.

Its way easier to pose than learn how to play any instrument, perhaps?

Guitar isn't an easy instrument to learn how to play let alone master, no insturment is. Some people are more gifted than others in grasping the techs of playing - flatpicking, fingerstyle, rhythm/lead, slide, and strumming. Cinny, makes a good point; you gotta start somewhere and if Usher and others are willing to learn, why not.

Guitar is easy! You could learn to play while driving on the freeway. I suggest everyone try. Of course you will only learn a few basic chords at first, but most songs only need a few chords.

I hope Usher will continue his journey!!

TD3 said:

Its way easier to pose than learn how to play any instrument, perhaps?

Guitar isn't an easy instrument to learn how to play let alone master, no insturment is. Some people are more gifted than others in grasping the techs of playing - flatpicking, fingerstyle, rhythm/lead, slide, and strumming. Cinny, makes a good point; you gotta start somewhere and if Usher and others are willing to learn, why not.

Usher can learn guitar while he is driving the tour bus.

GoldDolphin said:

It'd be so awesome if someone would pose with a violin or a trumpet, but then with those instruments you can't really fake it that much.

Sure you can! (at 2:30)

Singers especially use instruments like guitars as props. George Strait, while a fantastic singer, and someone I would definitely classify as a musician because dude's got ears, barely plays. He's always got a guitar strapped on at his shows, but he'll play a chord or two here and there and that's it.

I remember Usher having a guitar in one of his first videos (U Make Me Wanna maybe?) so for all we know, he could play. But I think a lot of, especially pop singers, are encouranged to put down the instrument and be more frontmen/women. So it's funny to see people like Madonna picking one up. I guess it's for some kind of cred.

Anything looks better than a damn tamborine.

lazycrockett said:

Anything looks better than a damn tamborine.

Actually playing an instrument is said to give performers "authenticity".

Pretending to play instruments gives them the "impression of authenticity".

Does anyone care whether the signifiers of authenticity are themselves authentic?

If they did, they probably stopped listening before that pretender started pretending to play instruments.

I once did live sound for a band that had been active for decades and some of the members were already pushing 70. The singer had a guitar strapped on and I started wondering why I couldn't hear his guitar at all even if I pushed the fader up on the mixing desk. I crawled to the back of the stage and noticed the guitar wasn't even plugged into the amp! I plugged it in myself and the guy jumped in terror realizing that he would now have to actually play his guitar, hah.

My guess is that he was just too old to play the instrument that well anymore and used it simply as a prop, but it was pretty funny. When I realized what was really going on I left the instrument in the mix, but made it so quiet that it was barely audible.

novabrkr said:

I once did live sound for a band that had been active for decades and some of the members were already pushing 70. The singer had a guitar strapped on and I started wondering why I couldn't hear his guitar at all even if I pushed the fader up on the mixing desk. I crawled to the back of the stage and noticed the guitar wasn't even plugged into the amp! I plugged it in myself and the guy jumped in terror realizing that he would now have to actually play his guitar, hah.

My guess is that he was just too old to play the instrument that well anymore and used it simply as a prop, but it was pretty funny. When I realized what was really going on I left the instrument in the mix, but made it so quiet that it was barely audible.

name of the band pls?