Remember the Jemsite list for 10 Things I Wish I Knew About Guitars (Before I Bought One)?

A few members came up with their own lists.  Here's one that I found particularly enlightening (and entertaining!) It's by Jemsite member Nickcoumbe.

1. Practicing methodically and regularly may sound dull but you will be able to play better quicker and have more fun.
2. Learning to play with other musicians is as important as learning to play scales etc.
3. Tablature is not always right. If it doesn't sound right when you play it, try to make it better
4. Shop assistants in guitar shops don't always know very much about guitars
5. Guitar shops are like dentists. When you find a good one stick with it and go regularly, even if it costs you money each time.
6. Building a custom is never cheaper. It might be better, but it doesn't fundamentally save you money.
7. Play gigs. Otherwise all you are doing is practicing for the sake of it.
8. Everyone's first gig is probably bad. Make sure you play better at each one.
9. Credit cards are not free money. Save up for it, you will appreciate not being in debt more.
10. They are addictive. I really wish someone had told me that.

We're not talking video games here.

Today, we start a new series on the Jemsite network, interviewing guitarists and musicians who may not have star status YET (yet being the key word!) but their current situations have shaped them to be who they are--determined, fond of their craft, and heroes in their own right.  Perhaps you'll see in these upcoming entries the next Jimi Hendrix, Melissa Etheridge, or Duane Allman.  Or perhaps they'll become household names by doing what they do best--doing their thing.

For our first interview, we highlight one Czech-born Mike Poss, who didn't let his native communist country of censors and politics keep him away from his dream of being a rocker.  Read all about him and then head on over to his official website for the goods on this daring dude.

Q: Your bio on your website says you were born behind the iron curtain in a communist country.  Can you tell me about your background and how it
influenced you?

Well, since I was born in Czech (former Czechoslovakia) a country in Central Europe, which was a part of the Soviet-block in the past, it certainly formed my view of the world and my understanding of the value of freedom and democracy. But, I do not want to play the role of some anti-communist revolutionary. That would be unfair to the real political fighters who spent a part of their life in a communist jail, however everybody who played rock-n-roll, had long hair and dreamed about freedom was a kind of political opposition. I was lucky that I spent my childhood in Ghana, Africa. My father was an agricultural expert so we lived in Ghana for 7 years. I grew up with African musicians and that was a great experience. After coming back to Europe I was frustrated with the political situation, but I am part of the lucky generation that experienced the changes to a standard democracy.  

As guitarists, as musicians, we’re always looking for ways to better ourselves. And yet we often miss two simple, yet astonishingly effective (not to mention fun), opportunities to learn.

So if you have a sort of cosmic list of “rules to live by,” I would make certain these two items were close to, if not at, the top:

Never Turn Down The Opportunity to Hear Live Music

This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people would rather sit at home and practice or sit at their computers instead of going out to see a local band.
Not only does this get you out of the house (always a good thing), but seeing people who have managed to put together an act, whether as a solo singer/songwriter or as a band, can you inspire you to play.

I have a Great Uncle Jack, who back in his day was a fantastic piano player. As a musician one of his jobs was as a piano tuner, which he continued to do for a long time. He also owned a coffee shop, during the fifties and sixties in Greenwich Village, NY, where he performed. He also gigged all over the East Coast. He was a jazz player and as such his style was that of playing big chordal patterns with both hands, rather than single note/interval comping bass lines with his left. So intricate were his abilities that I used to marvel at how, not only he could do it, but get that big sound as well. He is my Grandfathers’ brother, and the last of his generation. He has always made music, and that has been his passion for as long as I can remember.

We were lucky enough to have Dave provide a funky original rhythm pattern just for us! 

How's that for awesome?

Now for Part 2 of this series, we take a look at the amp. If you think picking the guitar was hard, then take a step back, the amp is where you really have nuts to crack.

Sure there are many different styles of guitars etc. but most of them for beginners have 6 strings, a neck, a body and some hardware and pickups. But with amps we have a whole universe of different philosophy collide.

First of all you have to think about the type of player you are and again what your budget is. The 3 biggest movements in the amp community are: Tube Amps, Modelling Amps and Transistor Amps. Again none of those are the best, some of them are the best at a certain job. So think about the job you want your amp to do for you first and your budget.

Let us start with Transistor Amps. Those are relatively cheap, most of them have OK clean sounds and some of them even sport a good distortion section. Is any of them sounding like a tube amp?