‘We all have idols. Play like anyone you care about but try to be yourself when you’re doing so’ – B B King.

Its good to be able to play like your idols but you don’t have to be exactly like them. All the great players have their own styles and their own unique sounds.

They got that way be taking risks. By writing their own music. By changing things around. By trying to imitate sounds not associated with the guitar.

Jimi Hendrix used to sit in front of the TV and try and copy the sounds made by cartoon characters. Did you know Jimi first started learning guitar by playing a broom and making the sounds with his mouth?

It’s no wonder he got to be so good. He was using the right techniques from the beginning. He was getting the music into his head first. Before he even held a guitar.

That’s what you need to do. Work out the song in your head first, then work it out on your guitar. It’s not how good a player you are with your hands; it’s how good a player you are with your head. The hands follow the head – not the other way around.

Jimi also used every day sounds and adapted them to guitar. How else are you going to become revolutionary – not by playing other peoples music – that’s for sure!