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There are bedroom guitar players and there are live performers. There doesn't seem to be anything in between. The minute you walk on to a stage (whether you get paid or not) you are a professional. You are in the business of entertaining and displaying your wares, so to speak. And if you really want to seriously get your guitar playing together it is the latter you need to strive for in my opinion. I am not suggesting you 'turn pro', you know attempt to do this thing full time, that is a whole other set of issues itself, but in order for your guitar playing to really get to where it needs to get to, you simply have to play in a live performance setting, preferably in a public forum. Ideally with other musicians you can interact with.

You can spend a lifetime reading books, studying your musical heroes, playing along to music minus one records, but none of this will ultimately give you the full picture. In order to be a true well rounded musician, you have to have real world experience. I'll try to explain why...

When I was just starting out in the profession as a fresh untainted fish in the vast sea of the London music business, I had to get myself known in order to find work. So I set about to answer ads in music papers. Now, after studying classical guitar at the London College of Music, I came out of a 3 year course with a facility to sight-read. Or should I say the beginnings of sight-reading ability, as jazz and pop music written on paper is a whole other world, as I was about to find out. I remember having to sight-read a piece of jazz music with a dance band at an audition. There were about 10 guitar players going for this gig. I must have been about 23 years old. The musical director said "I kind of like what you did Chris but you didn't really cut it mate! There are other guys here that have what I need". Ouch!!! That hurt. But I was young. It was actually good to hear. So I went back to my music library, pulled out a ton of violin music and practiced reading in different positions on the fretboard. Not to mention learning how to grab chords on sight in different fret positions.

Another time, I went down to audition for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, a band known to be extremely taxing musically, and a training ground for London session players. I sat in the guitar chair with my Gibson 335 on my lap, ready to play. The director called a chart, I placed it on the stand and he counted it off. He counted it off around 250 BPM. Frighteningly fast! Well, it was all I could do to get my eyes to follow the music, measure by measure, much less play the music that was written within those bars! I didn't even touch my guitar that rehearsal. I simply placed it back in its case and went home. Ouch again! That was a hard knock! I gave myself exactly a year to get it together. I went back to my practicing with a vengeance. A year later I joined the band for about a year and a half.

Pop music of the 90s was fun. While some view this musical time period as one of the worst for the genre, others beg to differ. One thing is for sure the 1990s brought a host of one-hit wonders, as well as catchy tunes that soon faded in the shadows of fad history. These are the songs we remember the most (for good or for bad) because they were often part of a heavy rotation on our radios and television music channels. Pop music in the 90s offered a variety of songs, combining an array of varied musical genres, such as rap and country. For instance, who really took Vanilla Ice seriously with his infectious poor excuse for rap, Ice Ice Baby This was clearly pop music in disguise.

Another pop music entry added to the list of one hit wonders during the 90s was Groove is in the Heart by Deee lite. This is what pop music is all about fun, fast and catchy. You can still listen to this song and cant help but to move to the beat. How many of you still try to make that signature pop sound with the inside of your mouth

Many people associated pop music of the 90s with an infusion of high-energy tunes. This is when groups, such as the Spice Girls made their mark with hits like Wannabe. Their crazy appearance and unique personalities encouraged females, both young and old, to embrace their individuality. Speaking of being yourself, RuPaul captured many listeners with his/her pop songs, such as Supermodel (You Better Work). You didnt need a runway to appreciate this fun tune.

Pop music in the 90s also touched on controversial social and cultural issues that made you think and enter debate with family and friends. Michael Jackson (the King of Pop) challenged our perceptions of race with his intense, visually elaborate Black or White song. You could think whatever you want about his lifestyle, but the song and music video were quite interesting. The different faces of people morphing into one another were a real treat for pop music listeners.

What about the pop music fads that emerged during the 90s? You cant deny that you attempted or thought about trying the Macarena, which became a fad from the song of the same name by Los Del Rio. This wasnt the only dance fad to come out of the 90s. The pop country tune of Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus became quite popular, bringing non-country listeners to kick up their heels.

Some television shows during the 90s produced pop music hits through their theme songs. How Do You Talk To An Angel by the Heights dominated pop music charts and radio stations. Just like many songs during the 90s, the tune and group soon passed by.