From Guitar World · · 1m
Chet Atkins Hears His Own Guitar
Chet Atkins admits his guitar playing makes him feel sick when he listens to recordings of himself.
In brief
Chet Atkins admits his guitar playing makes him feel sick when he listens to recordings of himself. Chet Atkins felt his guitar playing was terrible when he heard a recording of himself, showing how self-criticism can be intense even for pros. Originally reported by Guitar World.
Recording Yourself
Recording yourself and listening back is hard for guitar players, often sounding terrible.
Chet Atkins' Struggle
Chet Atkins, a legendary country guitarist, felt sick listening to his own old recordings.
The Love Bug Crawl Incident
Atkins heard his 1957 recording of 'The Love Bug Crawl' on the radio and realized it was his own terrible playing.
“I remember going down the road one day and I heard a tune on the radio called The Love Bug Crawl”
Atkins' Reaction
Atkins described a visceral reaction when he realized the recording was his own playing.
“I can't even remember the artist, but I was listening to this thing and I said, 'Boy, that sounds good. Wonder who that guitar player is?' Then suddenly I realized it was me and it sounded terrible.”
The Psychological Switch
Atkins' experience shows how our perception of our playing changes when we recognize it's us.
“It's always that way when I hear myself, If I don't know it's me I think, 'Damn, that's pretty good. Wonder who that is?' Then when I realize it's me I kind of want to throw up.”
The Moral
There's a fine line between critical self-evaluation and complete self-criticism, even for great guitarists.
At a glance
Chet Atkins felt his guitar playing was terrible when he heard a recording of himself, showing how self-criticism can be intense even for pros.
