Modern Guitars recently interviewed fingerstyle acoustic guitarist Pete Huttlinger. Huttlinger’s an excellent guitarist and has recently released an album titled Fingerpicking Wonder: The Music of Stevie Wonder. In addition to being a great guitarist, Huttlinger has the heart of a teacher, as evidenced by the instructional DVDs he has created.
In the interview, he offers this advice for aspiring professional guitarists:
Any player who wants to make a living at it needs to understand that there is only one Eric Clapton, only one one Steve Vai, only one Sting, et cetera. So the chances of being “that guy” are slim at best. Therefore, the more versatile you are, the better your chances of survival. Learn lots of styles, learn the tunes, learn the licks. And most importantly enjoy the work. If it seems like too much to tackle, then it probably is. It’s okay to play for fun.