Stop Practicing Guitar and Start Playing Music!
From Technical Mastery to Musical Expression: How to Truly Engage Your Audience
I had a wake-up call in my twenties when a renowned American producer/manager hit me with a brutal truth. It took me weeks to fully digest it, but it never left me.
I regularly meet guitarists who are technically “perfect” – shredding, sweeping, running scales at insane speeds. Yet, with all that technical firepower, they still struggle with the most important skill of all: actually playing music.
Picture this:
A guitarist rips through a hyper-technical solo on stage. Fast, complex, flawless. And the crowd? They drift off to get drinks and snacks.
A moment later the same guitarist plays two simple chords in a strong groove—and suddenly the crowd explodes. Hands in the air, people shouting, even throwing drinks out of excitement.
That contrast raises a painful question:
“Why did I spend so many hours perfecting that solo if it doesn’t move anyone?”
The hard truth is this: endless hours on technical exercises become meaningless if they never translate into music that connects with people.
Create Music That Actually Touches Your Audience
Many guitarists get lost in a tunnel of exercises. They play so fast they’re almost out of oxygen—but emotionally, nothing happens.
Yes, mastering scales and speed is impressive. But if you can’t turn that into phrases, melodies and songs that move people, you’re still missing the point. Knowing every scale is useless if you don’t know how to use it to say something.
Your real job as a musician is not to prove how hard you can play.
Your job is to create moments that listeners remember.
Key Takeaways
Focus on creating music, not just perfecting technique.
Engaging your audience matters more than showing off how fast you can play.
Practice connection, not only precision – learn how to use timing, dynamics and space to tell a story.
Make your practice sessions count by balancing technical work with musical expression. In the end, the goal is simple: play music that resonates with people, not just impresses them with finger acrobatics.
Take Your Guitar Playing To The Next Level!
Wouter Baustein
Music Producer, Music & Mindset Coach
If you like clear, practical guitar and music coaching instead of random YouTube tips, you need structure. My guitar books and coaching programs give you that structure, so you can finally make real progress and level up your playing.