STOP Skipping To The 'Good Part' — You're MISSING The Lesson
I need to vent for a second. Pschhh no, it's actually pretty funny
Someone left this comment under one of my most popular videos: "Skip to 3:25 for the no-nonsense part."
Now, I'm not one to get worked up over YouTube comments. I would not have survived that long of social media if I were
But this one... this one really got under my skin.
Here's why.
You know that person who like my wife watches movies while checking their phone, leaving to do laundry ("you don't have to pause it!"), and then asks every ten minutes: "Wait, who's that guy? Is he the villain? What's going on?"
That's who's telling you to skip the intro of my videos.
The thing is, those first few minutes contain vital information. In my fretboard memorization video (the one with nearly 3 million views), I explain exactly why you should do it, how the system works, how long to practice, and what NOT to do.
Guess what happens when people skip that part?
They wake up two days or two week after and they realize they did not "get it"
Exhibit A: from when I published that video I got thousands of emails asking:
- "Should I practice for an hour a day?" (No! I said 5-10 minutes!)
- "Should I do all the exercises at once in one session?" (No! They're progressive! You do one per session)
- "Why isn't this working?" (Because you skipped the instructions!)
It's like trying to assemble IKEA furniture by skipping straight to step 47. Sure, you'll save time. You'll also end up with a bookshelf that's somehow load-bearing on your ceiling.
Look, I know some YouTube teachers pad their videos with useless fluff. I'm not one of them. Every minute is there for a reason — and if I could cut it shorter without losing something important, believe me, I would cut it and go on with my day.
In the video below, I explain exactly why this drives me insane mildly crazy, why you should ignore comments like these, and why you should watch the intro of my videos (especially if you think "well, it's all just words". Last time I checked, words is how we communicate concepts, but feel free to correct me...)
P.S. If you are one of the people who skips the intro and then emails me with questions that were answered in the intro... I do recommend you watch it, but hey, knowing me knowing you, you are going to skip this video completely, right? ;-) (the only way you'll know you're not one of these people is if you watch this video entirely... I don't make the rules, I just notice them)
P.P.S. Want to improve your knowledge of chords and harmony on the guitar? Check out my Complete Chord Mastery guitar course which will explain everything you need to know to completely master harmony on the guitar!
Video Transcription
Hello Internet, so nice to see you, or actually today, not so nice, because, Internet, I am angry at you, and I'm angry at you because I keep receiving comments like that. The no-nonsense starts at 3.25.
Okay, you know what, Internet, if you have the urge of writing under any video, and the video starts at minute 3 or 4 or 7, eh? Just shut up. Why? Well, let me tell you what happens on my side. This was the video about how to learn the notes on the fretboard.
It's the most viewed video on this channel. It's close to 3 million views now. In the first 3 minutes, I give vital information on how the whole process works. And then the exercises, yes, start around 3.30 in the video, but the first 3 minutes are absolutely of vital importance.
But there's plenty of people who think who know better, that write, the exercises start there, don't watch the first part. You know what happens. And I get tons, tons of comments, okay, hey, this system doesn't work.
And then I ask, have you done this? Oh no, it's in the first 3 minutes. I get tons of emails. I don't understand how this system is supposed to work. I don't understand what to do in this situation. But should I do this exercise?
Should I do the exercise? It's all explained in the first 3 minutes of the video. And everybody who's writing don't listen to the first minute of the video is misleading all the other people who actually need that guidance.
And then guess what? I get literally thousands of emails per week, literally thousands of emails per week, asking me the same question that is answered at minute 2 in the video. It's okay if that information was obvious to you.
okay okay if you think it's obvious but please stay out of the way because other people need to hear that information okay stop showing off that you know everything already other people don't okay now if you want to do that then also you are totally welcome to come at my place and volunteer to answer all those emails for me.
If you do that you can write whatever you want on that video i keep receiving the same question should i do the exercises in order yes you should you should not jump any exercise should i practice an hour a day no you should practice that exercise five to ten minutes a day no more, why?
Because if you practice it too much it's gonna saturate your brain and you're gonna get into diminishing return really fast meaning you're gonna practice for half an hour but get the benefit of five ten minutes anyway so there's no point in practicing it more okay and you will I have no idea how many people I comment on that video with like I'm spending an hour a day on this no I told you not to it's in the first three minutes.
How do you do all the exercises in five minutes you don't it's progressive you do you work on the first exercise for five minutes a day until you've done with the first exercise and then once you can practice the first exercise and it's easy you spend your five minutes a day working with exercise number two and then once you can practice number two and it's not a struggle you work your five minutes a day practicing exercise number three so they are progressive exercises.
You don't do all of them in the same day okay why should I've learned a note on the fretboard and getting this question all the time it's explaining the first five minutes it really it opens up the fretboard and makes easier to understand everything music music theory how to play chords how to play scales etc it offers your references point so it's easier to know where to put your hands on this instrument and to get the and how to get the right sound all explained in the first three minutes or at least most of it okay.
Please don't write under the videos not only my videos anybody's videos okay believe me if we wrote if we youtubers okay your music teachers on youtube or anybody if we've wrote a video and there are three minutes of introduction believe me we would have eliminated it if we could because you think that the algorithm covers long video and so we are making it longer and longer and longer and longer but in reality this is not always true and actually if the introduction is not engaging or interesting or necessary.
It actually hurts the video. So, believe me, we are as synthetic as we can, we are as short as we can, or at least the competent ones are, okay? So, please, please do not get in the way of other people learning, okay?
Thank you, thank you very much. And this is Tommaso Zillio, check out my courses, and if you have questions about music theory, any questions about music theory, write them down in the comments, and I will answer them in the next video.
Have fun!